


Who needs a crown, when you can wear a helmet?

by KittyKarnstein96



Series: Mal tourney au [1]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: (both are very minimal but I still think it's important to at least mention them), Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben is a little in love with all four of them and that's canon, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I really do love them but Mal being a dumbass is her brand, I'm going to stop rambling in the tags now and put some things that people might want to watch for, Idiots Who Don't Know How To Have Emotions, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Literally just an excuse for Mal and Jay to roast Chad at every possible opportunity, M/M, Multi, Protective Carlos de Vil, Protective Evie (Disney), Protective Jay, Rotten OT4, The mal playing tourney au we deserve, They're all in love and happy (most of the time...the angst is written with love), This fic could alternatively be named: Mal the ultimate dumbass jock, You thought this was going to be about Mal playing tourney but sike it's about feelings, but also MAL BEING A BADASS JOCK AND PLAYING TOURNEY
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 29,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25559317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittyKarnstein96/pseuds/KittyKarnstein96
Summary: Mal never backs down from a challenge, and playing tourney on the same team as Chad not-so Charming was definitely a challenge. Whoever said girls can’t play sports never met Mal.
Relationships: Ben & Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Ben & Mal (Disney: Descendants), Evie/Carlos de Vil, Evie/Jay (Disney), Evie/Jay/Mal/Carlos de Vil, Evie/Mal (Disney), Jay/Carlos de Vil, Jay/Mal (Disney), Mal/Carlos de Vil
Series: Mal tourney au [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958236
Comments: 30
Kudos: 144





	1. This is my game and you better come to play

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here! 😄 I've been hyping this up for months so I really hope you guys like it, this fic is my baby and I've worked so hard on it. I have another ot4 fic that's almost ready and there will be more roadtrip fic chapters posted...eventually! 
> 
> My other ot4 fic [The Origin of Baby Dragon](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24708499%22) just passed 1000 views and that makes me super happy so thank you! Let me know what you think, kudos and comments are always greatly appreciated! 
> 
> Massive shoutout to @telli1206 (on tumblr) for beta'ing this chapter and being so enthusiastic about this! Without further ado, here's the first chapter! 💙💙

After the chaos of coronation and the skillful way the VK’s saved everyone (Mal and Jay make a point to mention it every chance they get), they had all won themselves a good group of allies. Evie had gotten a chance to put her sewing machine to work, making new outfits for her loves, and being commissioned for even more pieces by nearly everyone in their class. To say they were proud of Evie would be an understatement. She was taking Auradon by storm, leaving an Evie original in every closet. Joining the sewing club was inevitable; her schedule always jam packed.

Jay was wrapped up in tourney practice, only getting more and more intense with the sport. After every game he came strutting back, preening under the praise he had received. Carlos fawned over his spectacular abs, Evie fussed over how dirty his uniform had become, and Mal feigned indifference. Jay knew how to read her, could see the smile she tried to hide as she rolled her eyes. If only he could convince her to join him on the team, the two of them together would be deadly.

Carlos had quickly come to the conclusion that tourney was not for him. He’d tried to push through, pretend he liked it - he didn’t want to disappoint Jay. Evie caught on first, pulled him close and traced soft patterns over his shoulders. His anxiety instantly eased, and he told her in a whispered confession. Evie held his hand as he told Jay and Mal he wanted to quit, unable to meet Jay’s gaze, his head hung low. All three had spent several hours reassuring their pup and reiterating how they were so proud of him for not letting the anxiety overpower him. Mal casually told him about the robotics team she signed him up for, one she’d specifically asked Ben for information on. Carlos had tugged her into an eager kiss before she could finish, murmuring ‘thank yous’ against her lips and painting scarlet across her cheeks. 

Clubs weren’t Mal’s thing. She’d declined Ben’s offer of joining the art club. Decorating lockers was much more fun. Mal was still learning to be social, not fully comfortable with all of the forced interactions. Their dorm room was her safe haven; Ben had kindly arranged for the four to share a dorm (it saved them sneaking in every night) and Mal, _though she’d never admit it aloud,_ was incredibly grateful. The other three would all stumble back, arriving at different times to find Mal lying on the bed, spell book in hand as she tried out different incantations. Evie’s favourite were the little blue flames that Mal would dance above her fingertips. Sometimes they’d find her sketching by the window, or curled up on the couch with Dude laying at her feet. Always and without fail, if Mal wasn’t with any of them she’d be in their dorm room, ready to greet them with fond smiles and kissing them as though they’d been away for years. 

Coaxing Mal outside was one thing, but convincing her to become part of a team was a whole new entity. 

But they are from The Isle, and they’ll be damned if they stand idly by whilst Mal sinks further into her anxiety. A healthy dose of scheming and a splash of plotting was all they needed to come up with a master plan; getting Mal to open up wasn’t easy, but they are nothing if not determined. _Scheming with good intentions isn’t evil, right?!_

* * *

A rough shake is what pulls Mal from her peaceful slumber. She opens one eye groaning into her pillow as he comes into view. Jay stands over her, grinning like the Cheshire cat. 

"What the fuck?!" 

Jay tuts mockingly, "Language, babe."

Mal narrows her eyes fixing him with a heated glare, tiredness keeping it from having the full effect. 

"Why are you still up?" 

"Couldn't sleep," he shrugs, looking away to avoid the concerned gaze he knows is there. 

Mal sits up slowly detangling herself from between Carlos's arms. He rolls over draping his arm over Evie to make up for the loss. Jay leans against the bedpost, smiling as Mal crawls closer. She yawns, eyes softening as she stares up at him. 

"I have a sleep gummy in my bag." 

Jay swoops down and places a soft kiss on her lips. He pulls back with a grin. Mal scrunches her nose and gives him a crooked smile. 

"What was that for?" 

"Felt like it," Jay tucks some hair behind her ear, "You're so cute."

Mal huffs and shoves his shoulder, "Shut up, I am not."

Jay laughs, catching her hand and using it to pull her closer, "I need you to come somewhere with me."

"Do you know what time it is?" she pulls his arm closer, groaning at the time on his watch. "It's 2am dipshit. What could we possibly have to do at this time?!"

He holds up his tourney gear and wiggles his eyebrows, "C'mon Mal, let's break some rules."

Mal's face lights up, eyes shining with mirth. 

"Let's do this." She rubs her hands together. 

Jay pumps his fist and holds out his hand to help her off. Mal accepts the hand, letting Jay pull her to her feet. She tiptoes over to their closet, rooting through until she finds the spare helmet Carlos had forgotten to return, and throws on the nearest clothes she can find,which happen to be a pair of faded grey sweatpants and a well worn lilac hoodie with little dragon scales on each arm. It's a little baggy and falls just shy of Mal's knee, but Evie made it especially for her, and Mal would be damned if she turned down an Evie original. 

Jay let's his gaze roam over her, humming appreciatively - Evie knew how to make casual wear look unique. He can feel more than hear Mal's foot tapping, and meets her gaze with a shameless smirk. 

"Stop staring weirdo." Mal hisses, thankful the room is dark enough he can't see her blush. 

He holds his hands up in surrender and they make their way across the room. Jay's hand closes around the handle when they hear rustling. Mal whips around cursing as Evie yawns leaning up to survey them. Jay gulps, attempting to shuffle his gear out of view. 

"Where are you going?" Evie whispers, voice laced with sleep. 

Mal glances at Jay and then back to Evie, in a split second she's crossing the room and stopping to crouch down beside Evie. 

"We'll be back soon Princess," Mal gently pushes her shoulders until she lies down again. 

Evie hums letting her eyes flutter shut. Mal moves some hair off of her face and kisses her forehead, smiling as Evie lets out a content sigh. 

"Go back to sleep E."

Mal presses a kiss to Evie's nose, and is rewarded with a soft giggle. Evie opens one eye and pokes Mal's cheek. 

"Don't cause any trouble." 

"We won't." Mal sing-songs. 

Evie hums her disbelief but sinks back into the pillows and pulls Carlos in tighter. She's lulled back into the world of sleep as soon as the door closes. 

Jay smirks leading the way as they creep along the hallway. They silently creep through the carpeted hallways, quickly scurrying around corners as they make their way to the entrance. Jay looks around, and once he confirms there's no one in sight, rolls across the floor like a ninja. Mal rolls her eyes at his dramatics and races after him. Mal huffs, trying to pick up her pace, but tiredness kicks in, and she's barely able to keep up with Jay as they approach the door. She'll have to thank him later for sensing what she needs, effortlessly scooping her into his arms and carrying her bridal style through the courtyard. Mal grips the tourney gear, deciding not to use it as a pillow and instead rests her head on Jay's chest. 

"Don't fall asleep." 

Mal waves a hand, nestling in closer into Jay as she speaks, "I'm just resting my eyes."

He chuckles brushing some hair from her face. _Simply adorable._

They approach the tourney field unscathed, and Jay sets Mal down. She shakes her head and stretches, striding around as she let's the crisp air pull her out of her slumber. Jay sets up the machines, the rumble of cogs flaring up. 

When he jogs back to Mal she's pulling on her helmet. He leans down to help her secure it and steals another kiss in the process. Mal pulls back shoving his shoulder with a wild grin. 

"Are we gonna play or what?!" 

Jay grabs a stick and tosses one to Mal. Then they're off, speeding down the field and tossing the ball back and forth. Jay spins around, sending the ball spiralling through the air. Mal catches it with ease, sending it back with lightning speed. 

They go back and forth for a few minutes, throwing and catching the ball. Jay catches every one and sends them hurtling across the field as Mal leaps to catch them. 

"This is too easy." Mal cajoles as she catches yet another throw. 

Jay taps his finger to his chin and looks around, gaze falling on the supply shed. It was asking to be used. Mal quickly catches on, and with a flick of her fingers the lock snaps open. They walk back armed with training dummies and set them up in different positions. 

"I need to work on my passes and dodges," Jay explains as he sets up the last dummy, "you ready?" 

Mal grabs the ball and sets up her stick, turning to Jay with a smug smirk.

"I'm going to wipe the floor with you." Mal teases, sprinting away with the ball. 

It doesn't take Jay long to get the ball back, catching up to Mal in two long strides and plucking the ball from her grasp. Mal races after him, ducking between dummies and dancing over the lines. Jay tosses the ball and slides along the grass, narrowly missing the blast of projectiles as he approaches the kill zone. Mal is hot on his heels as she sprints after the ball, scooping it and lunging to the side to avoid her own blast. Jay jumps, spinning in the air to catch her pass. Mal times her movements to the projectile blasts, sprinting down the field and sliding under every rocket launched. 

Jay launches the ball forward, ducking and diving around each dummy and circling back. Mal works in perfect parallel with him, ducking as he dives and jumping as he slides. They never miss a pass, and power through the kill zone every time. Where Jay does back-flips Mal does rolls, her small frame easily sliding under the projectile fire and speeding down the field without a scratch. They reach the end of the field and collapse next to one another, taking in some much needed breaths. 

"This game is insane." Mal croaks out between laughs. 

Jay shifts to lie on his side, brushing a sweaty strand of hair from his face. 

"We should do this more often."

Mal shifts so she's mirroring Jay's position. Her eyes sparkle a deep green, her smile so soft and carefree. 

"How could Carlos give this up?! I feel amazing!"

"Our Pup's a nerd," Jay shrugs and clamps a hand on her shoulder, "you've been holding out on me babe. You’re a little firecracker."

Mal brushes some imaginary dirt from her shoulders and laughs softly. Jay chuckles and lightly shoves her arm. 

"I'm serious, our team would be so much better if you played with us."

She starts to respond when the machine’s whirring cuts off and an angry voice replaces it.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!”

“Ah shit.” Jay springs up, pulling Mal to her feet. 

The figure draws closer, and they both gulp shrinking back under the glare they receive. Coach stands before them, arms folded, a thunderous expression taking over his features. Jay grabs Mal’s arm and pulls her behind him, turning back to Coach with unease. 

“Uh, hi Coach. We were-” 

The man holds up a hand, gaze shifting between the two. Mal stands behind Jay, her green eyes flashing in warning. He looks at Jay, body stiff and stoic placed in front of her as he stares back at the man with a fierceness like he’s never seen. The man steps back holding his hands up. He clears his throat and looks around Jay to address Mal directly.

“That was an impressive performance.” 

Mal scrunches her nose, glancing at Jay to make sure she heard correctly. Coach shakes his head, continuing with passion. 

“In all my years as Coach I have never seen anything quite like it,” he claps his hands and nods his head, “I want you on my team.” 

“Wait - what?!” Mal’s jaw drops, unable to hide her shock - the words coming out in a whisper. 

Jay raises his brows, mouth forming a small ‘o’ shape. He looks to Mal seeing a similar expression mirrored on her face. 

“I’ll give you a few days to think it over,” Coach carries on, undeterred by their silence, “but please think about it. You'd be an asset to the team."

Mal nods stiffly, mind racing as she struggles to keep her composure. Jay wraps an arm around her shoulder, subtly rubbing his thumb over her collarbone. She softens, relaxing under his touch. 

"We should get back," Jay gestures behind him, "let's go Mal."

They're halfway across the field when Coach's voice calls out to them. His voice tinged with amusement.

"I'll see you both in detention. Tomorrow, 4:30."

Mal curses, smacking Jay in the chest and shaking her head. He shrugs with an awkward laugh - it could've been worse. She sighs, pursing her lips as she attempts to glare at him. Jay sniggers and bumps her shoulder. Mal shoves him and starts to laugh, the reality of the situation setting in. 

"Only you could get a detention and be asked to join a team at the same time."

Mal snorts, "What can I say, I'm gifted."

Jay laughs, ruffling her hair. She growls, snapping her teeth and shoving him in the chest. He takes off, jogging away from her and laughing all the way. Mal easily catches up to him and tackles him in a hug. Not that she'd admit it was a hug, but Jay knows, dramatically gasping as her arms tighten around his waist. 

They walk back to the dorm room with Mal draped around Jay's waist. She leads the way to the bathroom, careful not to wake the other two as they slip into the room. Mal locks the door and shoves Jay backwards with a mischievous smirk. Their shower is big enough for the four of them, giving Jay plenty of room to pin Mal to the wall. It's rare for Mal to give up control, and Jay can't help but take advantage. His hands move to her hips, Mal's finding purchase on his shoulders. 

After a much longer shower than planned they make their way back to the bedroom. Jay tosses Mal one of his shirts and slips into the bed beside Carlos, arm draping over his stomach. Mal shrugs it on and curls in beside Evie. 

She stirs in Mal's arms, blinking sleepily up at her. "Took you long enough."

Mal hums and gives her lips a light peck. Evie smiles, pulling back at a tap on her shoulder. Jay leans across and kisses her softly. 

"Sorry Princess, this one just can't keep her hands off of me." 

Mal scoffs and shoves his shoulder. Evie rolls her eyes, gently pushing them both back down. "Go to sleep."

Jay gives her a mock salute, Mal smirks, both chorusing a "yes ma'am." 

* * *

Mal knows exactly who to blame, Chad _not-so_ Charming, with his obnoxious smile and dismissive tone. She hadn't wanted to be there, yet somehow with a pout of perfectly plump lips Mal had allowed Evie to coax her out of their dorm room. She took to sketching in the stands, pointedly ignoring every loud cheer or chant of a player's name. Listening to prissy princesses fawn over Auradon's royalty was not Mal's idea of fun. _Though her gaze drifts to the field every time Jay’s name is mentioned._

Evie sat beside her, beaming from ear to ear, entranced with the action on the field. Carlos is on Mal’s other side, much more content to be sitting in the stands. Mal's focus ripped away from her sketch (which just so happened to be a rather comical image of Chad shrieking at one of the gorillas on the opposing team) at a tap to her wrist. Her gaze drifts up, lips tugging into a soft smile at the excitement radiating on Evie's face.

"Jay’s about to score!"

Mal slams her sketchbook shut, a wicked grin almost splitting her face. She leans forward practically at the edge of her seat, her gaze for the first time since the game began turning to the pitch. Evie jumps up clapping and loudly whopping.

"Go Jay! Yeah!!"

Several people in the crowd turn scrunching their noses up at Evie, but she pays them no mind. Mal glares at every one of them, a stare so cold it could rival her mother's. A satisfied smirk tugs at her lips when they gulp, whipping their heads back around in lightning speed. 

Jay leaps over people, running at full speed and slamming the ball into the net. The crowd goes wild as he begins his familiar victory dance, flipping and twirling to his own beat. His eyes scan the crowd, locking into the faces he loves so much. They run down the stands, shoving people out of the way. Evie is the first to reach Jay, giggling as he takes her into his arms and spins her around. 

"Did you see that?!" Jay exclaims, putting Evie down and pulling Carlos into a tight hug. 

"You were freaking awesome, dude." Carlos insists. 

Jay flips his hair over his shoulder and levels him with a smug smirk. His gaze lands on Mal, standing there trying to hide her smile with an air of indifference. He drapes an arm across her shoulder, batting his eyelashes at her. 

Mal rolls her eyes, making a show of sighing as she inspects her nails, "you were pretty good, I guess."

Jay juts his lip out and pokes her side, "aw c'mon, you can tell me how amazing I am."

"I can't compliment you all the time. Your ego's barely tolerable as is." Mal deadpans, letting out a loud cackle at his mock hurt expression. 

He narrows his eyes playfully and charges at her, Mal slowly backs away taking off in a sprint as Jay shouts after her. 

"Don't run from my love Mal!" 

Evie shakes her head, resting her arm on Carlos's shoulder as they watch Mal and Jay run around like dorks. Jay scoops Mal into his arms, hugging her tight and peppering kisses across her face. She mindlessly bats at him, rolling her eyes but smiling when he hugs her from behind walking them back over to Evie and Carlos, and completely ignoring all the strange looks they receive. 

"Ugh fine," Mal chuckles softly, "your game was amazing."

Jay smiles and kisses her cheek, "close enough."

Mal nuzzles into his touch, perfectly content with Jay's arms wrapped around her waist. 

"We need to celebrate," Evie says, clapping her hands together. 

Carlos taps his finger to his chin, "I'm thinking pizza and a cuddle session."

Jay goes to speak, cut off at a familiar sneer behind him. All of their gazes turn to grimaces as the voice gets louder. 

Chad stands with some of his tourney teammates and Audrey hanging off his arm. 

"Well of course we won, we finally got rid of the dead weight." Chad sneers, letting out an obnoxiously fake chuckle. 

Carlos rolls his eyes, brushing the insult off. It's not as though he cares what Chad had to say. Evie grips his hand, interlacing their fingers and keeping him close. Jay's jaw tenses and he takes a step closer to the boy. Mal stiffens in his arms, rage starting to build up as she shrugs herself out of Jay's hold. 

"I mean, I'm pretty sure Carlos was afraid of the ball." Chad continues, pretending to run away. 

It earns a few sniggers and a hiss of a 'be quiet" from Audrey. Her gaze flits to Mal and she finds herself shrinking back. Chad pays no attention, chuckling away even as everyone else stops. 

"We don't need someone _that_ useless on our team, right guys?" 

He looks around expectantly, huffing when no one responds. Chad scoffs and turns away, only to be met with deep green eyes boring into his. He lets out a barely audible gulp. 

"Say it again, I dare you." Mal's eyes flash, her tone stoic but leaving no room for argument. 

Chad takes a step back, throwing his head back and chuckling, a nervousness creeping into his gaze. He holds his head high, completely ignoring her glare. 

"Who me?" He asks with a sickly sweet smile, "I was merely pointing out-" 

"You were talking shit about Carlos," Mal growls, stepping closer to him. 

Chad wags a finger at her, "now there's no need to be so defensive. It was just a little joke."

Mal throws her head back in a harsh laugh, gaze drifting to Evie to see a smirk toying at her lips. 

"Your playing was the only joke Chad." Evie sneers, spitting his name out with disdain. 

Jay sniggers and playfully bumps Evie's shoulder as Carlos laughs in full force. Mal smirks at Evie before turning back to Chad with a challenging glint in her eye. 

"I guess Carlos doesn't want to play with _your_ useless ass. I don't recall hearing your name mentioned once during the game." 

"Excuse you, I’ve been playing tourney long before you and your little bunch of weirdos got here. Why don't you leave the game to the real players? Hmm."

"Oh please, I could run circles around you." 

Chad scoffs, scrunching his face and laughing much too loudly. The sounds caused several heads to turn, the crowds silencing, all staring at what was unfolding. 

"Prove it."

Mal raises to her full height, chest puffed out and her shoulders pushed back. A flicker of fear flashes through Chad’s eyes upon seeing the daring glint in Mal’s. She clicks her fingers and someone passes her a stick and helmet. Mal doesn’t take her gaze from Chad as she slides her helmet on, smirking and striding back to the other three. 

Jay beams with pride and claps Mal’s shoulder. 

Evie looks to the canons and back to Mal, feeling a twinge of nervousness at the prospect. She steps closer, voice lowering to a whisper, “M, are you sure about this?”

“E’s right, you don’t have to do this Mal.” Carlos pipes up, eyes searching Mal’s for any flicker of doubt. 

“Oh, I’m playing.” Mal insists, a confident smirk still in place, “trust me, I’ve got this.”

Evie sighs, knowing there’s no way to talk her round once Mal has her mind made up. She glances at Chad, reveling in the way his confidence seems to slip and turns back to Mal with a smug smile. 

“Kick his ass baby.” Evie winks. 

Carlos gives Mal a thumbs up and guides Evie away from the pitch, making sure to bump Chad’s shoulder as they pass him. They’ve watched Mal and Jay enough times on the Isle to know they can handle themselves, feeling a little sorry for Chad - he doesn’t know what he’s about to unleash. 

Jay pulls his own helmet back on and leans down to adjust Mal’s, stepping back with a wicked grin. They jog to the starting point and get in position as Chad and a few other members of the team do the same. 

Ben stops beside Mal, his eyes kind and smiles warm and encouraging. “Are you ready for this, Mal?” 

“I’m always ready, your highness.” She teases, her smirk every bit as devious as Jay’s, “let’s crush them.” 

Ben nods and signals their referee, moving to flank Mal and Jay. Chad pales, glancing from Mal to Jay and finally landing his gaze on Ben, a hurt frown tugs at his lips. Mal arches an eyebrow and shoots him one last smug smirk as the whistle blows. Mal runs forward and catches the ball, spiraling around Chad as she pulls her stick back and tosses the ball to Jay. He speeds down the pitch, dodging the defense with ease, faking right and passing the ball back to Ben on his left. 

Mal flies down the other side, dancing around their defences and coming back to the middle. Chad races after her, bumping into Mal with a quick block. Jay pulls Mal to her feet, sharing a look and then they’re bursting through players knocking them to their feet with practiced ease, being an Isle kid has its perks. 

“Ben over here!” Mal yells and leaps in the air to catch the ball. 

Jay works on defense as Mal and Ben pass the ball between them, storming down the field with the other players hot on their heels. Chad shoves his way forward, gaze trained on Mal’s every move. Mal slows a fraction, waiting for Chad to reach her before taking off in the other direction, sliding through the kill zone and ducking with every blast that comes her way. 

“Mal, I’m open!” 

She shoots a long pass to Jay and jumps over the hurdle. Jay passes to Ben and then back to Mal, an easy alliance working between the trio. The other players all run to defend, sticks up as Mal skims through them. The ball flies to Jay, and he flips it over to Ben. The players close in and Ben stills, catching sight of Mal as she easily slips past players and he grins, sending the ball sliding across the floor. Mal takes a leap of faith and smacks it with all her might, the ball soars into the net hitting the back corner with ease. 

The crowd erupts, chanting and cheering almost as loud as they did for the actual game. Jay tosses his helmet to the side and runs across the pitch, hoisting Mal into his arms and spinning her around. 

“You’re fucking amazing!” 

Mal laughs squealing as Jay continues to twirl her around. Ben is the first to greet them, grinning from ear to ear. 

“Why didn’t you tell us you could play like that?!” Ben shakes his head in disbelief, his eyes full of hope. “Mal, you have to join the team.” 

Jay sets Mal down and bumps her shoulder, “that’s what I’ve been saying, man.”

Mal takes her helmet off and shakes her hair free. She takes a moment to catch her breath, leaning into Jay as the rest of the team and Coach make their way over. Evie and Carlos aren’t far behind, sporting matching smug smiles. 

“That, right there, is why I _need_ you on my team.” Coach says firmly. 

Chad shrieks, having finally caught up to them, his hair sticking to his forehead and his face red and blotchy, “What?! We can’t have a _girl_ playing tourney,”

“Nobody likes a sore loser _Chaddy-bear_ ,” Carlos sing-songs mockingly. 

Chad scowls and moves to step forward, shrinking back when he meets Jay’s heated glare. Evie levels him with one of her own, arm wrapping protectively around Carlos’s waist. Coach shakes his head and turns back to Mal. 

“What do you say? Will you join my team?” 

Mal’s gaze flits through the faces around her; Ben’s hopeful smile, Jay’s proud grin and Carlos’s awe-filled gaze. Jay steps closer, leaning down to whisper in her ear so only she can hear. 

“Y’know you wanna, baby dragon.” 

She bites her lip, cheeks flushing a bright pink as she turns away, deep green finally finding Evie’s warm chocolate eyes. Evie smiles softly and nods, it’s all the encouragement Mal needs. She turns back to the Coach with newfound confidence. 

“I’ll do it, but only if I get to pick my number.” 

Coach chuckles and offers his hand, “You keep playing like that, and you can have whatever number you want.”

Mal smirks accepting his hand and giving it a firm shake. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Chad sulking, her victory tasting a little sweeter at the prospect of pissing him off. 

The crowd slowly disperses and Mal’s wrapped in three sets of arms. Mal’s glad her face is buried in Jay’s chest and they can’t see her violent blushing. Though she can’t deny that getting showered in their affection feels good. Her mind started to imagine moments like this after her first game. Any excuse to bask in their warmth and affection

* * *

Mal tugs at the hem of her uniform, giving herself another one over in the mirror. Lip worried between her teeth, a shaky hand running through her hair for the hundredth time. _It's only the first practice,_ Mal shakes her head, _this was stupid._

"What's stupid?" 

Mal pivots fast enough to make her head spin, eyes narrowing in on Carlos, casually leaning against the door frame with a smirk tugging at his lips. _Why did she have to say it out loud?_ She plasters on her signature scowl, pointing her finger in an accusatory fashion. 

"You're not supposed to be here."

Carlos shrugs, closing the door as he steps inside the room. Mal's nose scrunches, lips pursed a protest at the ready. He ignores her swooping closer and presses a kiss to her nose. A scarlet blush quickly follows, hand batting at his shoulder. Carlos catches her hand mid swing and pulls her close. His arms snake around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder. Mal's eyes flutter shut, and she makes a soft noise of content. He presses a kiss to her neck, smiling against Mal's cheek as she nuzzles closer. 

Mal is soft. A soft cuddly dragon and no one could tell Carlos otherwise. He likes it when they're alone, because it's when Mal truly let's her walls down. When it's the four of them or right now, the two of them cuddling in the privacy of their dorm room. The content smile tugging at Mal's lips is worth skipping one robotics meeting. 

He pulls her over to the bed (they'd pushed them together during their first night in Auradon). Carlos flops onto the bed pulling Mal down with him. She drapes a hand across his stomach, head coming to rest on his chest. It's quiet except for Carlos humming softly, fingers slowly combing through her hair. 

Carlos is the first to speak with a hushed voice and a patient smile. Mal rolls onto her side, arm propping her up. His hand slides from her hair to her arm, down to rest on her thigh tracing soft patterns on the exposed skin. 

"You look good in that." 

He vaguely gestures to her body, letting his gaze roam and admiring the way the tourney shirt hugged Mal's curves. 

A smirk spreads across her lips, "Of course I do." 

Carlos pulls his phone out snapping a picture before Mal has time to protest. To his delight she doesn't protest, instead she shifts to give him a better angle. Purple waves frame her face, her green eyes sparkling. Carlos's cheeks darken a shade or two, always amazed at seeing this side of Mal - carefree and playful. He sends Evie and Jay the photos before his phone is shoved aside and Mal is claiming his arms again. She flips on her side, back against his front and safely tucked under Carlos's arms. 

"You're gonna be great M, don't worry." 

Mal scoffs and shakes her head, "I'm not worried." 

Carlos feels the way she stills and hugs her tighter, pressing his face into her hair. The scent of strawberries floods his senses, and not for the first time he appreciates the custom shampoos Evie made for them. Evie’s was a mixture of rich caramel and tangy apple, whilst Mal’s was her beloved strawberries. He lets his eyes close, basking in the sweet scent and humming along to Mal’s words.

“I’m only doing this to shut that douchebag up.” Mal brings his arm closer, interlacing their fingers, “he’ll regret hurting what’s mine.”

“I don’t care what Chad says.” 

He really doesn’t - especially not when he has Jay, Mal and Evie all ready to pounce on the guy if he so much as blinked in Carlos’s direction. Still, seeing Mal snarling in Chad’s face was pretty dang hilarious. 

Carlos doesn’t miss Mal’s growl at the mention of his name, _cute._

“You take that back!” 

Mal turns in his arms, fixing him with a deep glare. Carlos shakes his head, a chuckle tumbling out as Mal continues the charade. Her lips juts out, and she grumbles low in her chest. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Carlos waves his hand, “you’re rotten, I know.” 

Mal glares again, no real malice in the action. 

“Exactly! I am fierce and-” 

Carlos rolls his eyes, leaning over to cup her face and bring their lips together, effectively shutting her up. She nips his lip in retaliation, fingers raking in his hair as she clambers into his lap. His hands rest on the small of her back as Mal’s mindlessly plays with his curls. They exchange lazy kisses. Mal soothes the bite with her tongue and hums into his mouth. Carlos preens under the attention, hands running up and down Mal's back. Neither realise they aren't alone until the door shuts, the familiar click of heels making their way to the bed. 

Mal pulls back with a cheeky grin, chuckling at the way Carlos chases her lips. She brushes some strands of hair from his face, giving his lips one more quick peck before her attention is drawn to the newest arrival. 

Evie smiles leaning down to kiss both of their cheeks. She hangs her bag up, removing her heels and jacket and makes her way back to the bed. 

"Room for one more?" Evie smiles, already knowing the answer. 

"There's always room for you, Princess." Mal husks softly, patting the space between them. 

Evie attempts to graciously crawl over them, huffing when she stumbles, landing rather unceremoniously in a tangle of limbs. Mal sniggers, earning herself a swat on the shoulder. Carlos smoothes Evie's hair, quickly restoring it back to its silky perfection. 

"How did it go Eves? Did Lonnie like the outfit?" 

"Of course she did Pup," Mal squeezes Evie's arm, "who could say no to an Evie original?!" 

Carlos taps his finger to his chin, giggling at Evie's faux gasp. "I'm kidding, I knew she'd love it!" 

Evie ducks her head, interlacing her fingers with Carlos's and giving them a gentle squeeze. 

"Soon you'll be designing gowns for all the royals in Auradon." Carlos beams with pride. 

Evie's laugh is soft and melodious, "I wouldn't go that far."

"You will." Mal insists, kissing the side of her forehead, "only complete morons would turn you down, E."

“Who’s the sweetest girl in the land?” Evie gushes, pink spreading across her cheeks.

Carlos leans up so he can look Mal directly in the eye, mouthing an ‘I told you so’. Mal flips him off and sticks her tongue out. Evie rolls her eyes, pulling them both back down with her. She shifts, letting her head fall to rest against Carlos’s chest while her other hand tugs Mal until she curls into Evie’s other side. Mal drapes an arm across her waist and cuddles closer, tracing patterns in soothing circles against Evie’s hip. 

“By the way, you look fantastic M.” Evie says fondly, as though suddenly remembering. 

Mal doesn’t bother to open her eyes, if she did she’d only roll them. “It’s just a jersey.” 

“Nu uh, it has your name and everything,” Carlos reminds her, “and it looks way better on you than on me.”

Evie shushes him, finger on his lips. Her gaze drifts between Carlos and Mal unsure who to address first. She settles on Carlos, shifting just enough to be able to cup his cheek. 

“You looked extremely handsome in your uniform,” her tone though soft doesn’t leave room for argument, “no putting yourself down!”

He nods and presses his forehead against Evie’s. Soft lips brush against his, hands cupping his face delicately. Evie is as gracious as ever kissing him with tenderness, as though they’re in a museum and he’s the work of art. When Mal’s arm starts to draw back Evie is tugging her back in, sitting up and drawing Mal close to her. Her finger tilted Mal’s chin and brought Mal’s gaze back to her. 

“It’s not just a jersey. You are part of a team,” Evie squeezes her hand, the action emphasizing her point, “people believe in you Mal. It’s okay to be happy.” 

“Yeah I know-”

Evie shakes her head, “I’m not finished. I know you’re anxious about joining the team, but I will not let you downplay your achievements. You and Jay are going to crush the other teams, and we,” she gestures to herself and Carlos, “are going to be chanting your names and drooling over how hot you both look in your uniforms, okay.” 

A crooked smile curls its way onto Mal’s lips, eyes softening as the words sink in. Evie tucks a fallen strand behind Mal’s ear, leaning closer to press her lips to Mal’s forehead. Carlos breaks free to shuffle around them, settling back in on Mal’s other side, arms wrapped around her. Evie mirrors him, and the two create a Mal sandwich, a tangle of limbs keeping her locked in place. Carlos’s fingers resume his earlier motions combing through her hair. Evie massages Mal’s temples, smoothing over frown lines and kissing away worries. 

Mal visibly relaxes into their touch, breath starting to even out with every gentle caress. Carlos’s hands still in her hair, and the light sounds of snoring fill the silence. Mal fights to keep her eyes open, sleep quickly taking over. 

  
_“Go to sleep, baby,”_ are the last words Mal hears before she slips into a peaceful slumber, with the ghost of Evie’s lips upon her forehead.


	2. Hit me with your best shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal bonds with more of the tourney team in a battle for honour and pride, an explosion of colour and a chance to whip Jay and Chad's butts? Mal wasn't about to let that opportunity go to waste! If Mal is vicious on the tourney field she's lethal in a paintball arena. And after an epic battle what's better than coming home to her gang for some much needed softness before her first game as part of the tourney team!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who doesn't love a good ol' game of paintball?! This chapter has such strong Jal moments and it was so much fun to write, coming up with my OC's was really fun and it was just an excuse to show how much of a badass Mal is. The first two chapters are definitely the fluffiest and if you're here from my tumblr you'll have an inkling of what's to come 😉
> 
> Anyhoooow, I'm so glad this has been well received - I've been hyping it up enough, so I hope you like this chapter. Let me know in the comments (if ya want to!), I love seeing all of your reactions! Once again major props to my beta @telli1206 (on tumblr) you're a star!

Mal adjusted the straps of the safety gear, making sure the bulky equipment was securely in place. She was still getting used to it, but she appreciated the practicality of it. She has to give it to Ben, this arena was something else entirely. 

It took a little convincing for Mal to agree to Ben’s idea of a bonding session, but he’d insisted, promising he’d let her pick the activity. Her bright eyes flashed wickedly at the mere mention of paintball. Unlike most of Auradon’s traditions, the art of paint-balling wasn’t lost on Mal. The more Ben explained, the more Mal’s inner dragon roared with anticipation. She only had one rule:  _ put Jay on the opposing side. _

Ben wrangled one of the school’s minivans and they rode to the arena. Mal sat next to Jay, letting her head rest on his shoulder almost for the entirety of the journey. They’d walked into the changing area bumping one another’s shoulders, before they each join their chosen team and gather their equipment. 

Mal looks up as Ben approaches, his protective gear in place and a charming smile on his face. He looks at her with the same hopeful energy as when they first met. 

"Ready to meet our teammates, Mal?" 

She straightens her shoulders, clutching her helmet and giving him a confident smile. If she could make it through their first practice, paintball would be child's play. 

"Lead the way, your Highness." Mal says, emphasizing the nickname with a smirk. 

Ben chuckles and walks Mal over to their team. Her gaze flits over them, trying to place a name to each face. Jay had given her a brief run down on the journey, and she decided to make an effort even if she likes her self-assigned nicknames better. 

The four other boys greet Mal with warm smiles, so she forces down a snarky retort and slaps on a smile. Ben lets his hand hover above Mal's shoulder, waiting for her nod before he lets it rest there. 

"Mal, I wanted to officially introduce you to the guys," Ben says with practiced ease, "I remember when I first joined the team - it was a little overwhelming."

She blinks up at him, resisting the urge to run away as he continues, gesturing to each person in turn. 

"I'd like you to meet Teiso, Son of Esmerelda and Phoebus," 

Mal nods, letting her gaze drift to each in turn, she stands a little taller and makes a point to look each of them directly in the eye. 

Teiso greets her with a wave, his smile every bit as charming as his appearance. Face chiseled to perfection, and rich black hair that fell in neat waves to frame his soft brown skin. He stands with a subtle confidence that Mal can't help but admire, nothing but sincerity in his smile. Teiso's eyes are almost as striking as Mal's, in a dazzling baby blue.

"Welcome to the team Mal," Teiso's smile shifts to a playful smirk, "hope you're not planning to go easy on them."

"And have to listen to Jay's obnoxious gloating?" Mal scoffs and rolls her eyes, "I don't think so."

It earns her a few chuckles and a snort from her right. Mal turns to survey the new face, waiting for Ben to continue his introductions, excitedly gesturing with both hands.

"Jace, son of Slightly."

Mal arches an eyebrow, her nose wrinkling at the name. The boy, Jace, lets out a hearty chuckle, wheezing a little as he struggles to keep his composure.

“One of the lost boys. He’s not lost anymore,” Jace rattles along, snorting, “unless you count when he can’t find his way to the kitchen.” 

Mal’s eyes widen, gaze shifting to Ben and turning back as he gives her a placating smile.

Jace isn’t tall like the others, and where Teiso is all muscles and dark waves, Jace is sunshine and floppy hair, a scattering mess of dark blonde across his head falling just above his eye every time he moves. Mal blinks a few times, more than a little shocked at the energy radiating off him in waves. Jace looks at her with a boyish grin, cheeks puffed like he’s constantly about to burst into giggles. One glance at the twinkle in his eye tells Mal he probably is.

Ben jumps in before Mal has time to form a response, steering her gaze towards the next boy. Mal looks to him, instantly recognising his face when Ben’s voice cuts through her thoughts.

“This is Andre, he’s in the robotics club with Carlos.”

“Son of Audrey Ramirez, the best mechanic around,” Andre announces with a proud smile, hand outstretched, “it’s nice seeing you again Mal.”

Mal gives him her first genuine smile and accepts the outstretched hand, shaking it with more force than necessary,  _ she is still a girl from the Isle of course.  _ Andre is a similar height to Ben, with short dark hair and soft tan skin. His eyes are a rich caramel colour, his smile a little crooked. 

“I gotta say, Carlos is an excellent addition to the robotics club.” 

Mal finds herself rolling her eyes, how anyone could deny Carlos’s talents was beyond her - making a mental note to remind Carlos later.

“And finally, we have Jack, son of Tarzan and Jane.” 

Jack leans against the wall, a lazy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His mid-length brown hair is tied back with a blue ribbon that falls effortlessly over stocky shoulders. Jack is tall and tanned, but his eyes are soft, and there’s something about his casual wave that puts Mal at ease. 

“My friends call my Korak.” His voice is quieter than Mal would’ve guessed, but oddly fitting for him. 

Mal is pulled back to reality as Ben claps his hands, all eyes falling to him. 

“So,does anyone have any strategies they’d like to put forward?” 

He’s met with silence and a single eyebrow arch. Ben’s eyes linger on Mal for a moment, and he releases an overly dramatic sigh. Mal narrows her eyes at him, grumbling when all Ben does is stare and  _ was that a bat of his eyelashes?! _

“Oh, because I’m an Isle kid I should have tactics?” She challenges him, her face is stoic,giving nothing away.

Ben’s eyes widen comically and he starts to stutter, stopping when Mal sniggers, a devious smirk forming. She punches Ben’s shoulder, a gleeful glint in her eye as she speaks, choosing to ignore his little wince at the action.

“You’re in luck  _ Benny-boo _ . I’m not about to let Jay and Chad win, their egos are already too big.” 

Her eyes suddenly darken, and a look of pure rage takes over her face. Mal points a finger, voice suddenly echoing around the room. 

“STAY ON YOUR FUCKING SIDE!” 

Jay holds his hands up, sniggering from his spot only a few feet away. Mal stomps over to him, glaring at him with deep green eyes. Jay laughs harder and gives her sleeve a light tug. 

“Aw, am I interrupting your plotting?” Jay mocks in a sing-song tone. 

Mal growls and jabs his chest. “I’m going to destroy you.”

Jay waves his hand, eyebrows wiggling as he brings his paint gun to Mal, using the tip to tilt her chin up. He flashes her a cocky grin and leans closer, hovering just shy of Mal’s lips. 

“I picked my colour to match that  _ adorable _ little blush.”

Mal smacks his arm, grumbling a barely audible ‘shut up’ under her breath. She shoves Jay’s chest, rolling her eyes when he effortlessly sways back into her space. He swoops in to peck her lips, chuckling when she nips his lower lip in retaliation. Mal pulls back, shoving him once more for good measure, and strides back to her group.

“Stay on your side, loser,” she sneers, giving Jay the finger when he blows her a kiss. 

He runs back to his side, chuckling all the way. Mal shakes her head and carries on as though she hadn’t gotten distracted. 

“The first thing you do when we enter the arena is find higher ground. Jay’s used to plotting, he’ll try and sneak up on you. Don’t let him.” Mal stresses each point, marching back and forth as she lists on her fingers. “If you can’t get to higher ground, find somewhere low to hide and aim for weak spots. Look at where people aren’t protected, and strike when they least expect it. It’s all about timing. Don’t get trigger happy on me.” 

The boys hang onto her every word, Mal easily slipping back into a leadership role. Ben watches her in awe, swallowing down a gulp at the fire in Mal’s eyes. He can’t help but admire the way she can command attention, and for once feels himself relaxing at the prospect of someone else taking charge. Ben isn’t ashamed to admit that Mal is intimidating, her words strong and unyielding. Even without a love spell he can take a moment to admire the girl before him. 

“There’s no room for being nice, that’s how you lose.” Mal states simply, continuing on without elaborating “Pick a target and stay on that person. Don’t let your guard down - if you go out it should be with all that you’ve got. Are you with me?” 

“We’re with you Mal.” Ben puts his hand out and looks at her with an expectant smile. 

Mal bites back a laugh, shaking her head - mainly at her own excitement - as she places a hand over his. The other boys all follow suit, looking to their new leader with confidence. It takes Mal a few moments to get used to this feeling. The blatant level of trust isn’t something she’s used to receiving in Auradon. She straightens up, pulling her hand away and picking up her helmet. 

“Then what are we waiting for?!” 

\---

The game begins quietly, a slow predatory dance of skills as both teams get into position. It’s silent as Mal shoots the first blast, a quick dart of purple that smacks Chad right in the thigh. He lets out a high pitched scream that’s so satisfying, Mal can almost taste his tears.  _ Serves him right for being a dick to Carlos _ . 

As the shock wears off the game truly begins, quickly turning into a mad dash of colourful chaos; paint flying in every direction. Mal crawls behind a wall, careful to stay low until she's fully around the corner. She creeps her way forward, palm resting on the wall as she readies her gun. Mal locks onto her target, hitting Chad's left and then his right foot with perfectly timed blasts. 

Jay runs to Chad's aid, shoving him down and narrowly avoiding a purple blast. He fires his gun in the same direction, knowing he's hit his target when-

"OW. MOTHERFUCKER."

Chad whimpers, rubbing his foot and hobbling away, leaving Jay to fend off his own attacks. Jay races away, firing pink blasts in every direction as he moves to safety. 

Mal moves fast in the opposite direction, easily locating Ben as he crouches behind a large rock. They move back to back, eyes in every direction. Ben spins around Mal and shoots, hitting his opponent in the chest. 

He pumps his fist in victory, yelping as a blast of paint smacks him in the arm. 

"Keep moving Ben!" Mal hisses, sprinting past him and leaving splatters of purple in her wake. 

Jay finds himself hiding amongst the trees, waiting for footsteps and then striking as soon as they approach. He cackles as a bolt of pink smacks someone's shoulder. Getting to higher ground is easy, climbing until he's high enough to see the action unfold. Jay feels a swell of pride as he spots Mal cornering Chad, shooting him in close range and covering him in purple splatters. He aims his gun, pink just grazing Mal's arm enough to stun her at least. 

"Mal, get down!" 

She ducks as Teiso shouts, using his taller frame to shield Mal as they run around a corner. Mal makes her way to the other end, glancing around and motioning Teiso forward with a crook of her finger. She points to the empty bike shed across the quad. They race to it, ducking inside before anyone can see. Mal lifts her visor to look at him, whispering quickly. 

"Near the entrance there's some netting, we can use it to set a trap."

Teiso nods, lifting his visor to shoot her a sly grin, "I saw some tires, if we grab them quickly we can make a barricade."

Mal looks visibly impressed, a smirk spreading across her lips. "I like your thinking. Let's find the others and get started. Jay won't be idle for long."

"Maybe we should've got him on our team," Teiso jokes, sniggering as Mal shakes her head. 

"It's way more fun this way."

Teiso chuckles and pulls his visor back down, waiting for Mal to sprint away before he goes in search of the others. Jace and Andre sit behind a cluster of bins, guns poised and ready to attack. The three of them carefully make their way back, securing tires under their arms and positioning themselves around the shed. Seconds drag into minutes as they try to sit patiently and wait. 

Ben has done a pretty good job at staying mostly paint-free, his gun armed with most of his paint balls still intact. He ducks down behind a tree trunk, watching Aziz and Li from a distance. He has a clear shot and lets out a beast-like roar charging at them at full speed. 

“Ha! Take that sucker!” 

Li dives to the side, leaving Aziz to fend off Ben’s shots. The young king is too fast, delighting as each shot smacks Aziz in the chest. There’s a rustle behind him and Ben whips around to see Mal leaning against a tree; a wicked gleam in her gaze. 

“Well you showed him,” Mal teases, jerking her head in the opposite direction. “C’mon, we’ve got a plan.” 

Ben tiptoes behind her, firing blast upon blast at every trace of movement. Mal shoves him forward, laughing as he ninja rolls across the floor and creeps through the battleground. They make it back to the bike shed unscathed and Mal chuckles, chucking her visor to the side. She spins to Ben and gives his shoulder a playful punch. 

“You’ve been holding out on us Ben!” 

“This is exhilarating!” Ben exclaims with a childlike grin, “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun.” 

Mal’s gaze softens and she nods, giving him a small sad smile. “Me neither.” 

Sadness flickers in Ben’s eyes, guilt weighing down his smile. Mal shakes her head and forces down the wave of sadness, they have a game to win. She grabs her helmet and turns to address the rest of the group.

“I need you guys to secure the net. Jace,” Mal approaches him, hands on her hips, “I want you and Andre to position yourselves by the tires. Since you’re smaller, the others won’t see you.”

Jace flashes her a toothy grin and dramatically finger guns, “you got it chief!” 

Mal rolls her eyes, gaze drifting to Andre and getting a nod of affirmation. She stands in front of Korak and Teiso. 

“Grab some leaves to camouflage the net. Teiso, stay up front - we’re going to need your strength to defend.” 

Teiso smirks as if to say ‘but of course,’ his eyes sparkling even through the visor. 

“Ko, I want you under the net. Wait until they’re close and fire at will.” 

Korak nods, letting Teiso tug him towards the net. Mal nods, looking at them with pride. She turns to Ben and fixes him with a playful, stern smile. 

“Where do you want me Captain?” Ben asks, adopting a mock serious stance. 

A smirk tugs at Mal’s lips. “You’re with me, your highness.” 

**\---**

They fall into an easy step, walking side by side. Mal keeps her gaze up front, eyes quickly scanning their surroundings to check for any stragglers. They get back to a wooded area, Mal all too familiar with Jay’s love for finding sneaky hiding spots.

“I think we can drop the formalities Mal.” Ben says after a while, ducking his head with a shy smile, “out here I don’t have to be king, I can just be Ben.” 

Mal scoffs, her tone filled with mirth, “You’re the King, couldn’t you schedule some fun?” 

“I wish it were that simple,” Ben sighs, and hurriedly adds, “don’t get me wrong, I love my kingdom, but the responsibilities can be rather draining.” 

Mal slows her pace, lifting her goggles to look at him. There’s a rare softness in those fiery green eyes, an understanding that flows between them. Ben sighs, stopping to lean against a tree. He slides all the way down until his back rests against the trunk, taking his helmet off. Mal sits beside him, keeping one hand on her gun as she sets her goggles atop of her head. 

“Having you take charge is nice Mal,” Ben admits, closing his eyes. “I can finally take a break, and you’re really good at it.” 

“I’ve had a lot of practice,” Mal shrugs, brushing it off.

Ben opens his eyes, looking at her with that same sad smile. He groans, letting his head slump back against the tree trunk. 

“Everyone looks to me to fix all of these problems, and I’m just expected to know the answers. It’s hard when you’re the only one under pressure!” He exhales, spitting the words out in an angry cluster. “Why can’t people just leave me the hell alone?! Sometimes I just want to-” 

He cuts himself off and shakes his head, hands balling into fists. Mal raises an eyebrow, she taps his foot with hers. 

“Say it.”

Ben bites his lip, eyebrows knitting together as he looks into her eyes. Mal nudges him again and exhales slowly. 

“Let go.” Mal commands gently. 

Ben throws his head back and lets out an almighty scream, the noise rippling through the trees and echoing around. Mal laughs, the sound croaked and mocking. Ben clamps a hand over his mouth, and it only makes Mal laugh harder, tears rolling down her cheeks. 

“I- uh- I think I needed that.” Ben starts to chuckle. 

“Screaming is cathartic,” Mal says with an easy grin. “There are so many times I wanted to just yell in someone’s face.” 

Mal chuckles to herself, trailing off when Ben stills his head, tilting it to look at her.

“I shouldn’t have said that.” Mal hisses, pulling her gaze from Ben’s.

She waits for the shame, the scolding, but none come. Ben shifts a fraction closer, turning his body to fully look at her. 

“Being here is really hard for you,” he says, his tone soft and without accusations, “I didn’t think how difficult this must be for you.” 

“You shouldn’t have to-” 

Ben shakes his head, stressing his words, “no that’s not true! I absolutely should think about it. You’re under a lot of pressure too.” 

“It’s not a big deal,” Mal shrugs, shifting uncomfortably. 

They both know it’s a lie, but Mal can’t talk about this with Ben. Not yet at least. She sighs, picturing Evie’s gentle nods of reassurance, as if telling her  _ you can do this.  _

“It  _ is _ hard. People stare at us everywhere we go. I don’t like the rules, or how Carlos got kicked out of the library for laughing,” Mal scowls, taking a deep breath, “I think the classes are stupid and the people are too loud. There are so many reasons to hate this place, and no one here can understand what living on the Isle was like.” 

Ben holds her gaze, letting Mal’s words sink in. He nods, and that’s when Mal’s features soften. 

“But being here will be good for us. For Jay and Evie and Carlos, and all the VK’s that deserve a better life than what we got.” 

“I’ll see about setting up a meeting, bring the others and I’ll make sure your thoughts are heard,” Ben insists, his voice full of determination. “You’re right, we don’t understand and that needs to change. Will you at least consider it?” 

Mal looks at him for a long moment and slowly nods, a genuine smile on her face. She gets to her feet and hoists Ben to his. 

“We can talk more later,” she agrees, sliding her visor back down, “but right now we need to focus on eliminating the competition.” 

Ben puts his helmet on and gives her a small salute. His mind races as Mal’s words ring in his ears, finding his gaze following as Mal charges through the trees, and the game is brought back to play in full force. They have little time to prepare as Jay appears from behind a tree, striking Ben first and then Mal. 

“Aha! Did ya miss me Mal?” Jay taunts, twirling his gun and heading further through the forest. “C’mon slowpoke, come and get me!” 

Mal growls and races after him, yelling “oh yeah, you better run!” at Jay’s retreating form. She catches up to him with ease, aiming a shot at his leg. Jay curses, clutching his leg and spinning around. Mal stands before him, gun pointed at his chest. He holds his hands up and removes his helmet, slowly edging closer. Jay stops before Mal, gently pushing her gun down as he tugs Mal’s helmet off, tossing it aside. 

Mal’s lips curve into a wicked smirk, her eyebrow arched in silent challenge. Jay grins, looping one hand around her waist and pulling her towards him, their lips meeting in a passionate kiss. One of Mal’s hands fists in Jay’s hair, the other tightly gripping her gun. She scratches her nails against the one spot Jay loves, smiling as he arches into her touch. Jay moans against Mal’s mouth as she nips his lip, soothing the bite with her tongue. His eyes are still closed when Mal finally pulls away. He chases her lips, groaning as a shot fires and he finds himself staggering back at the sudden impact. Jay gasps, opening his eyes as Mal’s laughter floods his senses and a purple splotch drips down his chest.

“How could you? To your own boyfriend!” Jay cries, clutching his chest dramatically and falling to his knees. 

Mal smirks, leaning down to whisper in his ear, “all’s fair in love and war,  _ babe. _ ” She shoves his chest and takes off, disappearing into the trees. Jay takes a moment to admire her, this carefree side of Mal was rare, but boy did he enjoy bringing it out of her. 

“Catch me if you can!” Mal sing-songs, darting away with Jay hot on her heels. 

**\---**

After the game had ended (in an explosion of colour with Chad begging them to cease fire as he curled up, Mal’s boot pressing against his stomach), they’d made their way to a pizza place just off campus. Ben insisted on paying, loading the team with a stack of pizzas so large they just had to call reinforcements. Which is how Mal found herself perched in Jay’s lap with her legs draped over Evie’s. 

“An ambush, really M?!” Evie laughs, twirling a strand of purple around her finger.

Jay shakes his head, grumbling even as he hugs Mal tighter. Carlos laughs, sitting on Jay’s other side and patting his arm, “Bet you wish you’d thought of it, huh?” 

"Damn right, it was fucking insane." 

Mal laughs, leaning her head against Jay's chest. Her eyes flash wickedly, "I thought Chad was going to cry at one point."

Jay and Carlos snigger, glancing across the table at Chad's sour expression, rubbing his arms there are sure to be at least 10 bruises there. Evie presses her face into Mal's neck to stifle her own giggling. 

Chad wrinkles his nose at them, arms folding across his chest. "Well, I'm pretty sure you cheated, so."

Mal rolls her eyes and opens her mouth to retort. 

"Lighten up Chad," Teiso says, tossing a napkin in his face. 

"I had a lot of fun today," Korak chimes in, "and that's down to Mal."

Chad scoffs stuttering over a response. Evie, Jay and Carlos send deadly glares in his direction, shifting a little closer to Mal. 

"You played a great game Mal, we're lucky to have you." Li commends her with a warm smile. 

Mal gives him a small smile in return, gaze shifting away as a light blush fills her cheeks. Evie rests a hand on Mal's thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. 

"We've been telling her the same thing," Carlos says with a proud smile, "though, I'm a little jealous you guys got to play paintball."

He looks to Mal with a small pout, batting his eyelashes at her. Mal smirks and pokes his arm. 

"Don't worry pup, when we go back you can be on my team," she winks at him, gesturing to Jay and Evie, "show these two a thing or two."

Mal and Carlos turn to the other two with matching devilish grins. Evie shakes her head, raises an eyebrow as a smirk makes its way onto her lips, “You’ll be sorry when Jay and I paint you into dust.” 

Carlos wiggles his eyebrows, “you’re on Princess.” 

“I’d definitely be up for a rematch, anytime.” Aziz pipes up, drawing their attention back to the table. 

Remembering other people were around wasn’t a VK specialty, especially not when the four of them are together. Not that any of them are complaining, effortlessly relaxing into one another’s touch as their attentions are pulled elsewhere. 

Ben sits on Evie’s other side, sharing a small smile with Mal before he talks passionately with Evie about her latest designs. Mal can hear Evie’s soft laughter, the sound warming her heart. Her gaze flits to Carlos watching him interact with the team with ease. Andre, Jace and Carlos are eagerly chattering, Mal tunes out as they talk simply basking in Carlos’s puppy-like energy. 

Teiso and Korak pull Mal’s focus, their infectious laughter drawing her out of her own thoughts. 

“You’d be down for laser tag, right Mal?” Korak asks. 

“I don’t know what that is,” Mal shrugs, her voice getting louder as she teases, “but if it means I get to kick Jay’s ass  _ again _ I’m in.” 

Jay pinches Mal’s side, grinning as she swats his arm in retaliation. He scoffs and shakes his head, “I let you win, it’s called being a gentleman.” 

Mal throws her head back and barks out a laugh, “nah, you lost fair and square.” 

“It’s not exactly fair to kiss someone as a distraction before shooting them in the chest.” Jay folds his arms and levels Mal with a pointed stare.

“That’s just smart tactics,” Jace cuts in, sniggering as he leans across to give Mal a high five.

Mal raises an eyebrow, “you weren’t complaining when you were moaning into my mouth.” 

A rare blush colours Jay’s cheeks as all eyes fall upon him. The team lets out a collective “oooooh” and Jay can see the smug smirk sitting on Mal’s annoyingly perfect lips. He leans back with a smirk, arms moving to drape over Evie and Carlos’s shoulders. 

“What can I say, they just can’t resist me!” 

Evie smacks the upside of Jay’s head at the same time Carlos pinches his knee, effectively shutting him up. Jay brushes it off, keeping his arms snugly around them. Mal shifts to rest her head against his chest, finger idly trailing a pattern across his leg. Jay smiles and places a kiss atop of Mal’s head, knowing by now that was Mal’s way of checking in on him. 

“I’m okay M.” He whispers, for only Mal to hear.

Mal nods and resumes her motions, tracing the letter M across his leg. She looks around the table, a warmth she’s not quite used to rising. Teams weren’t Mal’s thing, but maybe just maybe playing tourney is. 

* * *

“Mal,” Carlos groans, for the third time since they sat down, “would you  _ please _ stop moving? You’re ruining my handiwork.” 

Mal sighs, grumbling as Carlos taps her shoulders and firmly tugs until she's in the optimal position. Carlos’s nimble fingers work through Mal’s hair, weaving the purple strands together in an intricate pattern. Jay lies opposite Mal on the dorm room floor, kicking Mal’s foot lightly and watching with an amused smile when her face scrunches at the action. There’s a comfortable silence between them, filled only with Carlos’s quiet humming and the soft whirring of Evie’s sewing machine. (Evie had insisted they spend the time before the game together, promising a fun surprise for her two athletes and promptly stealing their uniforms to make some last minute adjustments.) She sits by her desk, lost in her own world as the other three sit across the room trying  _ and failing _ to be as quiet as they can.

Mal leans against Carlos’s legs, eyes fluttering closed at the soft sensations of Carlos’s fingers running through her hair. Every so often he’ll pause to press a kiss to Mal’s bare shoulder before resuming his careful motions. Carlos takes each strand, weaving and tugging until the strands blend together. 

“Are you nearly done? I’ve been waiting forever dude.” Jay whines, pouting up at Carlos. 

“Relax  _ dude _ , perfection takes time,” Carlos rolls his eyes, an affectionate smile creeping in, “I’m nearly finished.”

Mal gives Jay’s foot a kick and shoots him a smug smirk, “looks like you’ll have to wait your turn.” 

Jay arches an eyebrow and crawls over to Mal. Carlos gives him a warning glare, not that Jay pays any attention - leaning into Mal’s space with a teasing smile. 

“You gonna make me, baby dragon?” He husks, face hovering just shy of Mal’s lips. 

Mal turns her head defiantly, shuddering as Jay’s warm breath tickles her neck. Jay swings his legs over Mal’s, repositioning himself and resting a knee either side of Mal’s hips. He leans in to litter a trail of teasing kisses up Mal’s neck, kissing along her jaw and making his way to the corner of her lips. 

Mal and Carlos groan at the same time, Jay laughs in a playful mocking way. Mal’s gaze lifts up, lip pulled between her teeth as Jay’s eyes darken. 

“Oh crap.” She mutters, instantly closing the gap between them. 

Jay’s hands trail down to Mal’s hips, head tilting to deepen their embrace. Mal’s hands tangle in his hair, yanking Jay closer and letting herself get lost in the kiss. Jay runs his tongue across Mal’s lips, his movements becoming more insistent and demanding. He’s practically sitting in Mal’s lap, reveling in the push and pull between them. 

“Jay, I swear to Hades, if you mess up Mal’s hair-” Carlos snarks, flicking the side of Jay’s head. 

Mal pulls back, releasing Jay’s lips with a loud pop. She pushes Jay’s chest, shoving him back with a cackle. Jay falls back dramatically, a dazed look in his eyes. Mal tilts her head to look back at Carlos, her smile anything but apologetic. 

“Sorry pup, we’ll behave.” 

“We both know you won’t,” Carlos says with a snort and shakes his head, “but it’s fine, I’m finished.” 

He tugs on one of her braids and kisses the tip of her nose. Mal blushes, swatting him away and gets to her feet, walking across the room to flop down beside Evie. Jay slides into the empty spot and flashes Carlos an expectant grin. Carlos laughs and sets to work combing his fingers through Jay’s long tresses. 

Carlos twirls a strand of Jay’s hair around his finger, and lets out a contented sigh, “Any requests?”

“Nope,” Jay says, popping the ‘p’, “I trust you.” 

“Maybe I’ll give you a mohawk,” Carlos says, messily pilling Jay’s hair atop of his head and adopting a serious stare. 

Jay spins to glare at him. Carlos sniggers, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 

He taps his finger to his chin, "Or maybe we should just shave it all off."

Carlos squeaks scrambling back as Jay launches onto the bed grabbing him before he can escape. Carlos wrestles with Jay, batting at his hands as they attempt to wrap him in a headlock. 

"Aaah get off! I was joking!"

Jay presses Carlos further into the bed, his other hand tickling Carlos's side. Their loud cries break through the previous silence. Carlos grabs a pillow smacking Jay in the stomach before he can get in another shot. 

Carlos scrambles from underneath Jay, clambering on top and continuing his attack. 

"Take that!" 

"You're gonna pay for that De Vil!" Jay threatens, his shout cut off as a pillow smacks his face. 

Mal chuckles, watching the commotion with a gleeful expression. The sewing machine cuts off and Evie stands, hands on her hips as she shakes her head at the boys. 

"Boys! Behave." She chastises. 

"He started it!" Jay yelps, ducking as Carlos swings the pillow aiming for his head. 

Evie sighs, looking back at Mal who simply shrugs, before she turns back to the boys. She snatches the pillow from Carlos's grasp, snapping her fingers to Jay. 

"Sit down and let Carlos braid your hair."

Jay chuckles holding his hands up and sitting down, shoving Carlos’s shoulder lightly on his way. Evie spins to face Carlos, pointing her finger in warning. 

"No more distractions."

"Sorry Eves," Carlos ducks his head, and sits behind Jay, "we didn't ruin your work, did we?" 

Evie cups his face, pressing her lips to his cheek and gently rubbing her thumb over the spot her lips just left, “you didn’t. I just think we should save the excitement for the game, okay my love?” Her voice is quiet, but strong. 

Carlos opens his eyes, leaning into Evie’s touch with a soft smile. Evie squeezes Carlos’s shoulder, smiling as she walks back to her desk, to find Mal leaning against it. 

"Can I have my jersey yet, E?" Mal asks, gesturing to herself with a smirk. 

Evie's gaze drifts down, a flush spreading across her cheeks as she takes in Mal, dressed only in a purple sport's bra and black shorts. She can't help the way her eyes linger a little too long. The delicious image of Mal standing before her in nothing but a light lilac bra would be forever ingrained in Evie’s mind. It’s not that she isn’t used to seeing Mal so exposed, but there’s something more intimate about being in the privacy of their shared dorm room. Mal chuckles, using a finger to tilt Evie's chin back up to meet her gaze. 

"No more distractions, remember?" Mal teases. 

Evie licks her lips, stepping back out to put some distance between them. She shakes her head, as though shaking away her less than innocent thoughts -  _ oh, so many of them _ . Mal's smirk widens and she twirls one of her braids. 

"Aren't you going to say anything about my hair?" She asks, voice soft and alluring. 

Mal knows what she’s doing, biting her lip and looking at Evie from dark hooded eyes. Evie gulps, a rush of warmth flooding her cheeks. Her gaze darts to Mal’s lips and back up, steadying herself against the desk. Evie can’t tell if she wants to smack or kiss Mal. The decision is made for her when Mal leans in, her lips brushing against Evie’s at a slow pace. Evie shudders against Mal’s lips, letting her hands move to press against the small of Mal’s back. Her fingers lightly trace over the ridges along Mal’s back, thumb tenderly brushing over the scarred skin. 

Evie pulls back and lets their foreheads rest together, Mal’s hands brush Evie’s cheeks before she lets them fall to her side. 

“Your hair is beautiful M,” Evie states matter-of-factly. 

“I know right?” Carlos chimes in, looking up from his resting perch on Jay’s freshly braided head. “We’re dating the two most adorable players!”

Jay and Mal instantly turn a tomato red, stuttering as Carlos and Evie share a soft chuckle. Mal folds her arms, a small pout forming. Jay starts to laugh along, grinning as Mal’s blush deepens. 

“We are pretty irresistible,” Jay comments, as he brushes some imaginary dirt from his shoulders. 

Evie shakes her head with an affectionate smile and takes Mal’s hand, guiding her to the desk. With her other hand Evie motions to Jay, opening and closing her hand until he makes his way over, Carlos trailing behind, his head cocking in curiosity. 

“Since this is Mal’s first official game I wanted to do something special,” Evie explains, her eyes shining, the passion evident in her tone, “to make you both stand out.” 

Jay grins teasingly, “yeahhh, Mal totally blends in with that purple hair,” groaning as a fist meets his arm. He rubs at the spot Mal assaulted and shuffles a little closer to Carlos, nodding for Evie to continue. 

Evie hands Mal and Jay their respective jerseys, bringing her hands together as she watches for their reactions. Jay pulls his jersey on first before moving to help keep Mal’s hair still as she slides it on. They crowd around the small mirror, the two athletes breaking into grins at seeing Evie’s little touches. 

“I was going to add some glitter but--” Evie waves a hand as she trails off, nervousness creeping into her smile. 

“This is perfect Princess,” Jay insists, running a hand over the fabric, “you’ve outdone yourself.” 

Evie preens under the praise, clapping her hands and smiling bashfully as Jay kisses her cheek. She spins to look at Mal, registering the genuine surprise on her face as she stares at herself in the mirror. There’s something else clouding Mal’s eyes, an unreadable air to her expression. Evie takes a step closer, her hand tentatively touching Mal’s shoulder. 

“M? What’s wrong?” 

Mal turns in Evie’s arms, her eyes downcast and her fingers tugging at the hem of her jersey. 

“C’mon Mal, you can talk to me,” Evie prompts gently, voice layered with concern, “it’s okay if you don’t like it, I can-” 

Mal jerks her head up to look in Evie’s eyes, shaking her head insistently, “Evie no. I- I love it. I just-"

Evie smiles tentatively and takes Mal's hand in hers, "I just want to make sure you're okay, I didn't mean to upset you, M."

Mal slowly exhales, gaze drifting from Evie's reassuring smile to Carlos and Jay, both looking at her with that same level of understanding. 

"You designed this for me," it isn't a question, "why would you-" Mal bites her lip, her voice small and hesitant, "I didn't get you anything."

Evie chuckles and pulls Mal into her arms, her arms snaking around Mal's waist as they gently sway. 

"I don't need you to get me anything, people can do something nice without needing something in return."

Mal huffs, grumbling into Evie's chest, "Not in my experience."

Evie pulls back a fraction so she can look at Mal more clearly, eyes softening, catching the sadness lingering in Mal's. 

"Honestly, I just wanted you to have a little something of mine to wear," Evie admits, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "you have Carlos's number and Jay's wristband. It's only fair you have something of mine too."

Mal peeks up and lets out a barely audible sigh of relief. Evie runs her hands over Mal's back in slow, circular motions. Mal looks back up with a small smile. 

"It's really cool E,” Mal says softly, a hint of teasing as she adds, “it matches my eyes." 

Evie ignores the hint of sarcasm, grinning from ear to ear, "I know!" 

A light chuckle beside them draws Mal's attention away, turning in Evie’s arms to meet Carlos’s gaze. He grins at her and leans into Jay, keeping his gaze on Mal’s. 

“I think it’s pretty sweet how you chose my number,” Carlos drawls with a cheeky smile, he taps his finger to his chin and looks at Jay, “what's the word I’m looking for Jay?” 

Jay smirks and adopts the same teasing tone, “I think the word you’re looking for is  _ adorable _ Carlos.” 

“Ah that’s it!” He slowly turns his head, looking directly at Mal as he speaks, “it's simply adorable."

Mal holds her finger up, "you better watch it Carlos."

"Aw, whatcha gonna do?" Carlos clutches his chest, "Cuddle me?" 

Jay excitedly smacks Carlos’s shoulder and sniggers, "don't man, she'll tickle you!" 

Mal narrows her eyes, shrugging out of Evie's hold and starting to advance on the boys. Carlos shoves Jay infront of him, hastily backing away as Mal’s eyes gleam a deadly green. Jay stumbles in an attempt to escape and bolts for the door, Carlos and Mal hot on his heels. He bumps Carlos out the way and sprints out of the room. 

“Shit! Jay wait up!” Carlos hollers after Jay’s retreating form, scrambling to catch up as Mal quickens her pace. 

Carlos waits until Mal’s within arms reach before he sprints as fast as his little legs will go, his melodious laughter getting louder as Mal races to catch up. 

Evie rolls her eyes and goes about gathering all of their belongings, somehow balancing the rest of Mal and Jay’s tourney gear and her purse and managing to close the door behind her. Muttering a grumpy,  _ “I guess I’ll meet you there then.” _ to the empty hall. 


	3. Give 'em hell, turn their heads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s the first game of the season and Mal is ready to kick some ass. Evie and Carlos are drooling over their athletes as the deadly duo raise some hell on the field. Their first game is a smash... _in more ways than one_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's finally here!! Just one more chapter to go. I'm so excited for you guys to read it, I've lived seeing all of your comments and kudos, it means the world to me!
> 
> Huge props to @telli1206 for beta'ing this chapter for me!

Evie set down the bags of gear with a soft huff, looking fondly at the other three who had beat her to the field by a longshot. Carlos at least has the decency to flash Evie a guilty smile, attempting to wriggle free from Jay’s hold. Evie’s gaze drifts upward, letting out a soft chuckle upon seeing Mal sat on Jay’s shoulders, playfully gnawing at his neck. Jay holds Mal with ease, a contented smile spreading across his face and his arms snaked around Carlos. He looks up as Evie approaches, a teasing twinkle in his eye. 

“Well, took your time didn’t ya?” 

Evie gasps, folding her arms and arching her eyebrow, “is that any way to greet the person; who just single handedly carried  _ your _ equipment here?” 

Jay’s cheeks flush, gaze instantly dropping. Carlos having finally managed to free himself walks over to Evie, his arms outstretched and giving her a pleading smile. Evie’s lips curl into a smirk and she brings a finger up to tap her lips. 

“I think I deserve a reward,” Evie flutters her eyelashes at him. 

Not that she needed to as Carlos eagerly brings their lips together. Evie sighs against his lips, her hand coming up to caress Carlos’s cheek. Carlos pulls back gently brushing his nose against hers and smiles soft and shy. 

“Does that make up for it, m’lady?” He bows his head, hand giving a little flourish. 

Evie releases a dramatic sigh, gaze shifting to fix on the other two. She crooks her finger in a beckoning motion and flashes them a teasing smirk. Mal grins back, kicking her legs against Jay’s chest and pointing towards Evie.

“Onward my trusty steed,” Mal commands, tapping Jay’s shoulder with extra force.

Jay walks to Evie with a bounce in his step, smirking as Mal’s grip tightens around him. Evie rolls her eyes and puckers her lips, waiting for Jay to lean down in greeting. She waits until his lips are a breath away before pulling back with a smug smirk. 

“Nu-uh, not so fast Charmer,” she holds a finger to his lips, “I think there’s something you need to say to me.” 

“You’re looking radiant today Princess,” Jay smirks confidently, looping his free hand around Evie’s back and drawing her in, “we’re sorry for leaving, how about I make it up to you?” He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively. 

Evie shakes her head but leans up to meet his lips. Jay’s hand cups the back of her neck, lightly scratching there and making Evie hum in response. He gives her lip a light nip and tilts his head to deepen the kiss. Evie sighs into his mouth and places a hand on his chest. Their kiss is short lived, a sharp tug in Jay’s hair and he’s pulling back with a groan. Mal’s hands tap impatiently on his shoulders until Jay bends down and Mal can clamber down. 

“Must you be so impatient?” Jay huffs. 

Mal flashes him a wicked grin, cackling as she bumps him aside with her hip, “yes I must.”

Evie coughs to stop her chuckle from escaping, shooting Jay an apologetic smile before turning back to Mal, a hand on her hip. 

“I’m sorry the boys are so thoughtless.” Mal says sweetly, but a smirk twitches at the corner of her lips, giving her away. 

Evie laughs, shaking her head affectionately and giving Mal’s lips a quick peck. Jay shoves Mal’s shoulder and Carlos sticks his tongue out at her in retaliation. Evie laughs, looking at them all with playful exasperation. 

“What am I going to do with you three?” 

“Love and cherish us forever,” Carlos sing-songs. 

Jay and Mal nod their heads eagerly, all three flashing award-winning smiles Evie’s way. She giggles and pulls Carlos and then Jay into her arms, cuddling in between them. Their gazes fall to Mal, wiggling their fingers to entice her into their cuddle session. Mal steps back with a groan, smoothing her hands over her jersey. She looks up and rolls her eyes;of course Evie was pouting at her. 

"M, c'mere," Evie whispers with a hopeful smile. 

Mal grumbles, gaze drifting as if she only just remembered they were in public. She bites her lip, her cheeks hot as she feels eyes on her. Jumping on Jay in front of the school was one thing, but the idea of openly cuddling was a little daunting. Mal was still learning that being openly affectionate in Auradon wasn't deemeda bad thing. 

"Hey guys," a cheerful voice greets them. 

Mal spins around, for once a little thankful for the intrusion as all of their gazes flit to Ben. He smiles widely as they turn to him, cheeks a little flushed. 

"I wanted to check in before the game starts,” Ben smiled nervously, cringing at how flustered he’d become, “I- uh I remember being nervous before I played my first game and…”

“That’s very sweet of you Ben,” Evie coos softly, her voice like silk as she gives him a dazzling smile. 

Ben’s cheeks flush a baby pink and he forces his gaze away from Evie’s smile, regretting it when his gaze falls to Jay’s arm, (which was wrapped protectively around Evie’s shoulder). He gulps, eyes lingering on a defined bicep for a little too long. When Ben looks back up both Jay and Mal are smirking, raising their eyebrows in unison.

“The patches you’ve added to the uniforms are really cool!” He exclaims, a light blush still on his face. 

Mal points to Evie with a proud smile, “that’s all down to E. They were a surprise to us, too.” 

Ben lets his gaze fall to the patches sewn into Mal’s right and Jay’s left sleeve. Jay’s sleeve has a sleeping cobra coiled around a little blue heart. The thread is metallic red and gold, and itshimmers as the light hits it. When he studies it closer, Ben can see a faint white ‘E’ stitched into the heart. Mal’s sleeve has a similar design, her image being of a dragon resting its sleepy head on another blue heart,the purple and green scale stitching a stark contrast to the blue of the uniform. 

“They’re beautiful Evie,” Ben says sincerely, his eyes shining with awe. “I’ve never seen anything like them. What material did you use?” 

“Oh-” Evie ducks her head, a barely audible vulnerability in her tone, “I cut up a rug from our hideout back on The Isle and stitched it together with some thread Jay found for me.” 

Ben’s eyes nearly jump out of his head, letting out an astonished gasp followed by a chuckle, “what a fantastic idea! Truly remarkable.” 

Evie preens under the praise, a soft smile lighting up her entire face. Carlos bumps her shoulder and flashes a grateful smile in Ben’s direction. Ben clasps his hands together and turns to Mal, the brightness of her eyes making the words catch in his throat. He shakes his head to compose himself. 

“So, are you ready for the big game Mal?”

Mal hums, a slow smile spreading across her lips. “As ready as i’ll ever be.” Her gaze flits to Jay’s, a mischievous glint sparkling in those fiery green eyes. “The other team won’t know what hit ‘em.” 

Jay cracks his knuckles, raising his eyebrows and smiling in a way that makes Ben’s cheeks flush. Mal smirks at Jay, and at this point Ben is pretty certain his cheeks will stay in a tomato red state. 

“We should probably join the team now,” Ben gives them all an apologetic smile, stepping back to give them more privacy.

Evie smiles graciously, and moves to embrace her two athletes. She places a chaste kiss on Mal’s and then Jay’s cheek, her eyes shining and her own smirk appearing. “Go out there and destroy them!”

Mal winks at her, giving Evie’s hand a little squeeze as Jay does a mock salute. 

“You got this, Jay,” Carlos punctuates it with a punch to Jay’s shoulder, grinning as he moves to Mal. 

He swoops in before she can protest and kisses Mal’s nose, giggling when it immediately scrunches. Mal shoves his face away, turning quickly so Carlos can’t see the pink staining her cheeks. Evie loops an arm through Carlos’s, gently tugging him away. 

She calls a soft “bye Ben” over her shoulder, and Carlos gives him a little wave. The smile on Ben’s face widens, watching them navigate their way through the crowd and take their seats. There’s a fondness in Ben’s gaze as Carlos lays his jacket on the bench for Evie to sit on. A poke to his side is what snaps Ben back to reality, turning back around to see green eyes narrowed and arms folded. 

“Sorry I-” 

Mal holds her hands up and turns to Jay, both of them starting to crack up and turning back to Ben with softer expressions. There’s a playful grin emerging through Jay’s previously stoic exterior, his eyebrows wiggling as he smirks at Ben. 

“It’s alright man,” Jay chuckles, dramatically flipping his braid over his shoulder, “we’re all too beautiful.” 

Mal rolls her eyes and lightly smacks Jay’s chest. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s just play the game, before Ben’s blush becomes a permanent shade,” he laughs, Ben’s blush seeming to only emphasise her point. 

Jay and Mal are still sniggering when they approach the team, shooting mischievous smirks in Ben’s direction. He doesn’t really mind, their playful energy only makes him smile more. When Ben moves to address the team they fall silent, laughter fizzling away as they adopt a more serious stance. There’s a power shining in Mal’s eyes, a confidence in the way Jay leans into her, and the energy radiates around them. 

Mal looks to Jay as he makes his way to the starting position and she takes a seat on the bench. He grins, pointing to her and tapping over his heart. It isn’t a question as Mal returns the gesture, blowing him a kiss for good measure. Jay reaches up to claim it, giving Mal one last glance before he’s turning away, and the game begins.

**\---**

The first half of the game passes in a blur with the scores staying fairly even between the teams. It isn't until late in the game that things start to get interesting. Evie and Carlos have long since forgone sitting quietly, whooping and shouting loudly at every glimpse of Jay. 

It’s just after the halfway point when Mal gets to join in the fun. Coach yells for Chad to take a break, and Mal jogs over to Jay, nearly tripping in the process when Chad yells a genuine “good luck” after her. She makes her way over to the huddle, easily slotting in beside Jay. 

“Alright guys, we need to focus,” Ben reiterates with an encouraging smile, “the Falcons are up by a point. If we want to win we have to put our best foot forward.” 

Mal nods. looking to Ben before she says, “Ben’s right. I’ve been watching and we need to up our defence,” she continues with ease, her voice clear and commanding, “Ko, Teiso, Aziz - you need to pick someone to mark, no matter what, you need to stay on that person.” 

“Keep moving, go in different directions, cut people off. Be sneaky." Jay explains, punctuating his words with a pump of his fist. 

Ben claps his hands, and adds, "keep the momentum going, and focus on trying to keep Mal's route clear. They'll either underestimate her or make her their prime target - we want to be prepared for both."

They all share a brief nod of understanding and exchange a round of high fives. The whistle blows once, and they make their way to the starting line. 

Jay glances to his side as Mal stands in position, looking almost elegant,with a level of determination that only living on the Isle can instill. 

The whistle blows and Ben rushes forward for the ball, spinning to pass to Jay. Mal runs into an open space, zipping between players and ducking past anyone that tries to block her. She uses her height to her advantage, an opposing player goes for Jay and he tosses the ball to Mal. She spins out of the way of a block, darting down the field. Jay bumps his opposition away, tearing down the field to catch up with Mal. 

"On your left!" Ben calls, leaping up to catch the ball as Mal tosses it. 

He slides it to Aziz, who throws it back to Jay. Mal shoves a player out of the way, grinning as he stumbles back from the sheer force. She's in and out of the kill zone before anyone can catch up to her. Jay dances around his opposition, and with a teasing grin launches the ball into the air. 

Mal jumps and swings her stick, striking the ball and sending it hurtling into the net. There's a beat of silence and then the crowd goes wild. Jay runs to Mal, hoisting her into his arms and spinning her around. 

"You fucking did it!" 

Mal laughs, batting at his arms. "Put me down, you weirdo," she grins as he lowers her back down and punches his arm. 

She looks to the crowd, gaze instantly picking Evie and Carlos out of the masses. Mal points to them and holds up her hands to make a heart shape. She doesn't need to use it but her dragon hearing lets their voices easily travel across the field. 

"That's our girl!" Evie dances along to the band’s beat, jumping up and down and clapping wildly. 

Carlos whispers something in her ear, and soon the distinct chant of Mal's name fills the stadium. Not just Evie and Carlos's voices, but their classmates too, all clapping along to the beat of Mal’s name. Even Audrey seems to be leading her cheerleaders in a victory dance. 

Mal's gaze flits back to Carlos and Evie jumping in their spot, hugging one another as they grin down at their girlfriend. 

Jay tugs on Mal's arm and she forces her attention back to the game, blushing as the chants of her name ring in her ears. The scores are level as they set up their last play, the whistle blown and they're running in different directions. Jay runs center field as Mal shifts to the right. Ben cuts to the left, narrowly missing a block by a hair. 

The defence is tight around Mal, even as the team rallies to free her path. Mal slides to her knees, ducking under a shield and sprinting past a defender. She approaches the kill zone, gaze drifting to Ben and Jay as they pass the ball between them. Jay flips over and spins the ball to Mal. She fakes right and tosses it to Teiso who catches it with ease. Mal dives into the kill zone, players finding her in all angles. She slips around one but stops as she's met with a shield jabbing her knee. 

Mal falters, wincing and swallowing her gasp of pain. She shakes her head and pushes back with deadly force, growling under her breath as the player springs back up. Korak and Jace move to flank her, fighting off their own defenders to serve as a distraction. Mal soldiers on, sliding under the rockets shooting at her in every direction.

Evie clutches Carlos’s hand, grip tightening as they apprehensively watch the chaos unfold. Jay takes a dive to avoid a player, a sharp block sending him down like a sack of potatoes. Evie gasps, her nails digging into Carlos’s palm. He winces and gently pries Evie’s fingers away, instead draping an arm across her shoulders and pulling her into him. 

“Oh evil, I can’t watch this!” Evie shudders, pressing her face into Carlos’s neck. 

Carlos cards his fingers through Evie’s hair, lips brushing over the top of her head. His grip tightens around her, his eyes laser focused on Jay as he scrambles back to his feet and takes off to reclaim the ball. 

“-And he’s back up!” Carlos laughs, his smile a mixture of amusement and relief, “it’s safe to look, Eves.”

Evie exhales deeply, readjusting to lay her head on Carlos’s shoulder, a nervous smile still tugging at her lips. Her gaze flits back to the field, a flicker of purple catching her attention. 

Mal has possession of the ball, flicking her stick to jerk it back towards Ben. She spins her way out of a block and begins her journey towards the net. The last minutes tick away as the team races towards the finish. The ball makes its way to Teiso, who barely flinches as another player attempts to block him. Mal shakes her head, unable to contain her amusement. 

“Get to the end zone!” Ben hollers, grunting as he’s met with a hard block. 

Korak blocks back, helping Ben to his feet and shoving the young king forward. Teiso runs down the field, tossing the ball to Mal as she nears the net. Everything seems to happen in slow motion, Mal’s limited peripheral vision making it so the gorilla charging towards her remains undetected.

She brings her arm back and at the very last second switches direction, effortlessly flinging the ball to Jay who smashes it into the net. The roar of the crowd drowns out the rival teams steadily approaching footsteps, and Mal has no time to prepare herself. She’s mid-jump when a body barrels into hers, the ball barely escaping as Mal lunges forward and falls to the ground with a deafening thud. The rival player lands with a crack, his entire body crushing down on Mal’s tiny frame.

Mal’s pained screech rips through the field and the crowd goes eerily silent. Their victory short lived as reality seeps in.

“MAAAAAAL!” Evie’s scream is even louder, tears instantly welling in her eyes.

The sound snaps Jay’s focus back, his victorious smile gone in an instant and a cloud of emotions taking over his face. He tosses his stick aside, pure unadulterated rage taking over as he reaches Mal in mere seconds.

"Get away from her!" 

Jay charges forward and rips the player off of Mal, squaring up to him as he staggers to his feet. He grips the stunned player’s shirt with one hand, the other balling into a fist swinging back and striking the player’s jawline. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Jay snarls, the fierceness of his tone alerting the rest of the team.

Ben rushes to Mal’s side, the others following with varying looks of concern and anger. Chad grabs Jay’s arm before he can strike again, trying his best to pull him away. 

“Get off of me!” Jay wrestles in Chad’s hold, shoving him away and charging back towards the other player.

Carlos’s jaw grows slack, the colour draining from his face upon the sight. He springs into action, pulling Evie to her feet and pushing his way through the crowd. Carlos doesn’t let go of Evie’s hand, gripping it tighter as they race down the bleachers. He can feel the tears trickling down his cheeks and hastily brushes them away, shaking his head. They had to get to Mal. 

Her name repeating like a mantra in his head, his pace quickens as they reach the field. Carlos's gaze locks onto Jay, concern flooding his features. But when his gaze finally falls to Mal; he  _ can’t _ focus on anything else. Carlos drops to Mal’s side, hand slipping from Evie’s and roughly shoving Ben aside. 

“Mal?” He lightly touches her hand, “Mal, can you hear me?” 

Mal murmurs incoherently, her eyes fluttering in an attempt to stay awake. She can hear a familiar voice, and forces her eyes to open. Carlos’s face hovers over hers, his expression filled with too many emotions for Mal to fully register. Her breathing is ragged, painful with every choked sob. She goes to speak but nothing comes out. 

Evie sinks to her knees on Mal’s other side, her hands fumbling as they unclip Mal’s helmet. She removes the helmet and tosses it away, her fingers instinctively smoothing over the strands of purple that fly from Mal’s braids. 

“M? I need you to open your eyes for me, please.” Evie’s words fall out in a desperate plea, more tears spilling before she has a chance to wipe the first ones away.

Mal blinks a few times, her hand rising to touch Evie’s and she flinches back, another flash of pain hitting her full force. 

“No, Mal, don’t move.” Evie insists, stroking Mal’s cheek as her other hand moves to examine the rest of Mal’s body. 

She slowly lifts Mal’s jersey, gasping at the various cuts along Mal’s hip. Mal’s skin even paler, a stark contrast to the deep red engraved in her skin. Evie hums soothing tones as her fingers gently move over each cut, delicately brushing over each bruise. Evie was used to this, back on The Isle of the Lost; after long nights and bad fights she would be patching Mal and Jay up - and scolding them for their recklessness.  _ Auradon was supposed to be safe, _ but Evie can feel the way Mal recoils at her touch, curling in on herself as though it would protect her from the pain.

“I’m sorry M, I know it hurts,” Evie coos heartbreakingly, as her fingers approach Mal’s right arm. 

Mal starts to sob, shaking her head and howling in pain at the action. Evie rips her fingers away, eyes widening in horror as Mal curls into Carlos, her sobs only getting louder. 

“We need to get her out of here.” Carlos hisses over Mal’s head, anger washing away as Mal lets out another whimper. 

Evie runs a shaky hand through her hair, swallowing down the niggling doubts that threaten to arise, and gets to her feet. She looks around, finally able to focus on her surroundings and quickly makes her way to the sound of commotion. 

Jay is angrily shouting, struggling against the hold of 4 of his teammates. Ben stands between Jay and the other player, his hands held up in a placating gesture. “Please Jay, you need to try and remain calm.” 

“Calm?! That  _ asshole _ nearly crushed my girlfriend!” Jay exclaims, once again attempting to free himself from their hold, “get off me, lemme go.” 

Evie runs to them, taking Ben’s place and stepping in front of Jay. Her voice is soft yet firm, looking at him with a pleading smile. “Jay, you need to relax.” 

Jay scoffs, shaking his head and spitting, “I  _ need _ to teach that punk a lesson!”

Evie closes her eyes and exhales, stepping closer to Jay. He falters for a moment, slackening in the team’s hold, but Evie’s tear stained cheeks remind Jay why he’s so angry and his fists clench tighter. 

“Move out of my way, Evie.” Jay says in a low tone.

Evie shakes her head, her eyes meeting Jay’s and trying to convey a reassuring tone, “he’s not worth it Jay.”

“But Mal-”

Evie leans up, placing a finger to Jay’s lips whilst her other hand caresses his cheek, "I need you to listen to me, okay."

Jay closes his eyes and nods, not trusting his voice. 

"The only reason I'm not helping you  _ destroy _ him, is because we need to focus. Mal needs our help right now," Evie clutches her chest, her words raw and croaked, "I couldn't handle you getting injured too. Please."

Jay visibly softens, anger melting away as he rests his head against Evie's. He exhales and closes his eyes, letting himself be comforted by Evie’s embrace. Evie’s thumb brushes over Jay’s cheek, leaning in to place her lips over the spot. Jay’s lip curls up at the action, his hand finding Evie’s to give it a light squeeze. 

The team release their hold on Jay, allowing Evie to guide him back towards Mal. They rush over to find Coach, Fairy Godmother and various adults crowding around, and attempting to shoo the growing crowd of students away from the scene before them. Carlos cradles the purple-haired girl in his lap, glaring at any of the adults that dare to edge closer. Evie places her hands on Carlos’s shoulder, slowly kneading away the tension. Jay crouches down beside Carlos and Mal, his gaze meeting Mal’s as her eyes struggle to stay open. 

“You scared the shit out of me, baby dragon.” 

Mal blinks up at Jay, her lips slowly curling into a lazy smile, “I guess I’m just naturally gifted.” 

Jay shakes his head, wanting to smile back but it doesn’t make it to his eyes. He can tell Mal’s hurting, the slurring of her words makes his heart ache and he reaches for her. Jay carefully places his hand beside Mal’s, hesitant to actually touch her. 

“Seriously Mal, are you- are you okay?” Jay rattles off his questions in an uncharacteristically nervous cluster, “Where does it hurt? Do you need anything?”

“I need you to shut up.” Carlos mumbles, rubbing his hand across his temples. 

Jay folds his arms, shooting him a disdainful glare before the sound of croaky laughter draws his attention elsewhere. 

“Geez, relax Jay. I-I’m fine,” Mal scoffs, her face twitching painfully as she forces a smirk. “I don’t need you to kiss it better or anything.” 

Jay chuckles weakly and presses his watery lips to Mal’s forehead. He glances at Evie’s strained expression and the panic rising in Carlos’s as Mal groans, lip tugged between her teeth and her eyebrows knitted together. It spurs Jay into action, carefully scooping Mal into his arms, holding her with ease. Mal grumbles incoherently, cut off by her own groan as she shifts in Jay’s arms.

Evie pulls Carlos to his feet, following Jay as they slowly make their way across the field. Mal whimpers, burying her face in Jay’s chest and wincing with every movement. Ben stops them in their tracks, hastily running infront of them and holding up his hands.

“We should take Mal to the hospital wing,” Ben insists, his explanation rushed, “make sure she gets the right care.” 

“I know how to take care of her,” Evie snaps, fixing Ben with a steely glare, “we don’t need any of your so called help.” 

Ben’s face falls, a flicker of hurt flashing in his eyes before it’s gone. He shakes his head, easily sensing their distrust and continues, his words soft and laced with concern. 

“I understand you’re all scared and trying to protect Mal, but she’s clearly in a lot of pain,” he reasons, Mal’s choked sob only emphasizing his point. “The quicker we get there, the quicker we can stop the pain. You don’t have to face this alone. Please, let us help.” 

Jay stills, gaze drifting downwards to Mal, his resolve starting to soften. He chances a glance at Evie, giving her a small nod of affirmation. Evie exhales, bringing her hand to rub the bridge of her nose. Carlos molds into Evie’s side, his arm secured around her waist and looking at Ben with a suspicious frown. 

“Please, for Mal.” Ben presses with a hopeful smile. 

The three share a look, glancing at Ben first and then focusing their attention to Mal, nodding stiffly as Ben leads the way. Carlos tugs Evie closer, his hand trailing up and down her side. They’re both crying, neither bothering to wipe the tears away as they power through the quad. Jay can’t tear his focus away from Mal, every whimper sending shivers down his spine. 

They’re reaching the hospital doors when Mal slackens in Jay’s hold, her eyes fluttering shut and the soft lull of darkness taking over. 

**\---**

Carlos wastes no time in crawling into the bed beside Mal, his arms wrapping around her middle and his head nestling into her uninjured side. He clings to her jersey, desperate for closeness. Evie moves to sit at the foot of the bed, her hand coming to rest on Mal’s shin. Her fingers run over the skin in soothing circles, the action soothing the both of them. She’s been biting her lip since they arrived, anything to stop her from crying. 

Jay slowly paces back and forth, his fists clenched and lips curled in a tight frown. He stays silent, gaze drifting from the bed to the door as they wait. When Evie’s hand reaches out he takes it, letting her tug him closer until he’s sat beside her. He presses a kiss to the top of her head. Evie always had a knack for knowing how to pull him back to reality. Evie’s hand is cold,which is so unlike her - she always radiates warmth. It’s enough for him to pull her close, arm draping around her shoulder as she presses her face into the crook of his neck. 

“She’s going to be okay.” He repeats it, soft and sure in her ear. 

Evie nods against him, tears falling before she can stop them. He pulls back enough to cup her face, gently brushing away her tears.

“Mal’s a fighter,” Jay reminds her, kissing her cheek and then her lips. 

“The nurse will be back any minute.” Ben’s voice cuts in.

It’s the first time anyone other than Jay or Evie has spoken. For a while Jay had forgotten they weren’t alone. He tears his gaze from Evie and looks at the young king. Ben gives him a soft smile, trying his best to reassure them. Jay looks around the room, taking in the familiar faces of his tourney teammates and their classmates, it should comfort him but it only makes him feel more protective. 

Jay’s grip tightens around Evie and he pulls his focus back to checking on her and Carlos. He looks so small buried in the bright white hospital sheets, his body carefully nestled into Mal’s. 

Jay finally looks at her, breath catching in his throat. If Carlos was small Mal was tiny in comparison; her face a ghostly white paler than any of them have ever seen her. Purple hair falls in waves spread against the pillow, and for once, Mal looks at peace (Ben explained that pain medication could help with that). Her eyes are shut and her head to the side, to Carlos’s side, like she can sense him. 

“I hate this.” Carlos whispers, it’s the first thing he’s said since they got there. 

Evie looks up, eyes glassy and her cheeks blotchy red, “how could anyone hurt her?”

Carlos shakes his head, eyes scrunched shut as though willing the image from his mind. He can’t look away, gaze drifting back to Mal quicker than it left. Logically he knows Mal will be fine, but seeing her so still and lifeless sends shivers down his spine.

“She’ll be okay.” Jay repeats, over and over again. If he says it enough, maybe it’ll sink in.

“Why isn’t the nurse back yet?!” Evie glares at the door, and then looks to the others in the room. Her pleading eyes find Ben’s. 

He’s up and out the door, and they can hear raised voices and see the way Ben puffs out his chest rising to his full height. Not a minute later he’s marching back into the room and bringing a doctor with him. Evie shuffles further into Jay’s side, allowing the doctor a sliver of space, her hand still resting upon Mal’s leg. 

“Guys, this is Doctor Lee,” Ben explains softly, “he’s here to give you an update.” 

Jay folds his arms and levels the man with a firm stare, nodding for him to speak. 

“Mallory has-” 

“Don’t call her that.” Jay snarls, his hand balling into a fist. 

Someone behind them gasps, Evie rolls her eyes, knowing exactly who it belonged to. It takes all of her strength not to sneer at Chad, instead focusing her attention on soothing Jay. She takes Jay’s hand and gives it a squeeze, his gaze meets hers and he instantly deflates. He turns back to the man, eyes softening as he looks up. 

“I’m sorry. It’s just-” he sighs, scratching the back of his neck, “Mal hates that name.” 

The doctor nods, scribbling something on his clipboard before looking up, a warm smile tugging at his lips. 

“Of course, my apologies. Mal’s right arm is broken, and she has several bruises along her ribs. Thankfully, those are mostly superficial.” 

Carlos tilts his head, “What does that mean?”

“Her wounds are very shallow, and should be gone within the next week or two,” he explains kindly, sensing how scared the boy is, “the swelling in Mal’s arm has decreased considerably which means we can get a cast on it.” 

Evie raises an eyebrow, unfamiliar with the word, “Why does Mal need a cast?”

“It helps to restrict the bone’s movement and stop the bones from shifting. A cast or a sling are critical in helping speed up recovery time.”

“Casts aren’t so bad, you get to pick the colour and people write messages and doodle on it.” Lonnie explains, her tone reassuring and warm.

Evie nods, not taking her eyes from Mal. Jay’s gaze drifts to Lonnie and the two share a smile, he starts to relax imagining all the fun things he could scribble on Mal’s cast.

“Mal will be fine. The break was clean and it won’t require surgery,” the doctor continues holding up a small container, “this medication will help with the pain, make sure Mal takes one twice a day.”

Jay reluctantly takes the bottle and hands it to Evie with a grim expression. Getting Mal to take the medication was going to be a hard task. 

“She’s going to need lots of rest, the meds should help with that. We’ll keep her here overnight for observation-” 

“No way!” Carlos sits up, his hands balling into fists. “You’re not keeping her here!” 

The doctor backs away, holding his hands up, “Young man-”

Jay shakes his head and glares daggers at the doctor, “You heard him. We’re not leaving Mal.”

Evie’s hand circles around Jay’s wrist, the warmth keeping him grounded. He swallows and looks down, taking a breath before he looks back up. “Mal can’t stay here alone. We’re not leaving her.” 

“No one will make you leave Jay,” Ben says gently, though his tone leaves little room for argument. “I’ll personally see to it that you three are allowed to stay the night. You won’t be disturbed.” 

Evie tears her gaze from Mal and looks to the king. Her eyes are red and her face is stained with tears, but her smile is soft. He nods to her, and it’s enough for Evie to relax, gently tugging Jay back to her side.

The doctor clears his throat, shuffling some papers and looking between the three students on the bed. He tries to give them what he hopes is a reassuring smile. 

“Do any of you know which colour cast Mal might like?”

They look up with matching grins, answering without hesitation. Mal would probably be pissed when she woke up and saw the cast, _ but at least it would be in her signature colour. _


	4. Low on self-esteem, so you run on gasoline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mal is sick and tired of being sick and tired. Evie, Carlos and Jay are determined to take care of Mal, if only she’d let them. Where Mal goes trouble follows, has she gone too far this time? Or can they stop her before she injures herself further...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a wild ride my friends, and I hyped this fic up a lot. I really hope it lives up to expectations and delivers all the feels I promised. It took a while but I'm finally happy with this chapter! It's a _big_ one, seems fitting since it's the last chapter. Thank you to @tellemonstar (on tumblr) for beta'ing this chapter, and my wonderful Sparrow for helping me to really deliver on the feels and give it that special touch!
> 
> When I first started writing this I had a simple idea in mind and somewhere along the way it transformed into this gloriousness. I haven't written so many words, or felt so passionate about a fandom in so long. I'm really grateful to all of you, for all of the kudos and all of the comments, for everyone that's hyped up this fic and given me the inspiration to finish it. I really hope you like it, and if you do feel free to let me know in the comments (they mean more to me than I can express). So without further ado, here's the final installment!
> 
> I'm just going to put a brief warning: *reference to scar, small mention of blood*

The first thing Mal sees when she opens her eyes is a sea of blue waves. Evie’s head rests in Mal's lap, she smiles and leans down brushing some hair from her face. Evie stirs nestling closer, eyes fluttering as she looks up to meet Mal's. 

"M?" She whispers, eyes brimming with unshed tears. 

"Hey you."

Evie gasps sitting up and flinging her arms around Mal. She's rewarded with that soft laughter and a kiss to her cheek. Mal brings her arm up, nose scrunching as though just realising the added weight. Her eyes narrow as she zones in on the large purple block surrounding her arm. 

"It's a cast," Evie whispers, thumb brushing over it, "For your broken arm."

Mal scowls, glaring at the offending item, "This is stupid. I don't need a cast."

"Actually you do." Carlos pipes up, snuggling into Mal's good side. 

She growls at him, eyes flickering dangerously. He shrugs and nestles in closer, not bothering to hide his smile. Mal ducks her head, turning away before he can catch the quirk of her lips. Her gaze falls to her other side, softening as the sight of Jay asleep in a chair by her bedside comes into view. As she readjusts to her surroundings her smile is near impossible to hide. 

Most of the room is a bright white colour; there’s almost too much light and the various unfamiliar machines are enough to make anyone uncomfortable. The walls are painted a bleak white but strung up around Mal’s bedside are fairy lights. Draped across the chairs is the patchwork blanket Evie sewed using fabric scraps from the Isle. She can't see the table due to the array of cards, boxes of chocolates and the large bucket of strawberries piled on top. Black and purple paper crafts cascade from the ceiling, little dragons and snakes. Mal can tell which ones are Evie's handiwork. Even the hospital bed sheets have been replaced with dark purple silk. 

"We wanted to give the room a little VK flair." Evie whispers, gazing at her with a soft smile.

Mal hums, happily accepting the kiss Evie plants on her lips, “You didn’t have to do all of this.” 

Evie sits up, lips tugged into a small pout, “What? Of course we did M.” 

Carlos chuckles against Mal’s neck and pulls back, ignoring Evie’s playful glare and looks to Mal. She raises an eyebrow, smirking as Carlos fails to stifle another high-pitched giggle. 

“Eves roped everyone into helping, though some took a little more convincing than others.” Carlos sniggers, lip quivering and his eyes welling with tears.

Mal tilts her head, “What does that mean?”

Carlos laughs harder, wiping the tears from his eyes. It takes several minutes for his laughter to subside, his voice a little breathless, “Evie threatened to feed Chad to your Mother, unless he pitched in.” 

Mal cracks a smile, her eyes twinkling which only makes Carlos giggle more. The two of them chuckling as Evie huffs, shaking her head at the pair. 

“Is that so?” Mal smirks, nudging Evie with her good arm, “And after you scolded me for doing the same.” 

Evie rolls her eyes, a blush colouring her cheeks. Mal pokes Carlos until he shifts, allowing Mal to pull Evie into her side wrapping her good arm around her. Carlos shuffles around to Mal’s other side, eyeing her cast with unease. 

Mal whines, giving him her most pointed stare (though her flinching makes it soften considerably). Carlos slowly lies back down, body stiff as he keeps the distance between them. It isn’t enough. Mal huffs, pout in full force as she faces him looking like a petulant toddler. 

“Why aren’t you moving?” 

Carlos’s gaze flicks across Mal’s body, stiffening as his eyes trace over every bruise and scratch visible. Mal's shirt rides up revealing a sliver of skin and dark purple splotches curved across her hip bone. Mal follows his gaze and hastily tugs her shirt back down. She looks at Carlos for a long moment and slowly edges closer, swallowing down a groan. Carlos's hands tremble as Mal angles her body closer. 

"No!" Carlos jerks away, his voice trembling almost as much as his hands.

"C'mon," Mal tries with an exasperated sigh, "You're thinking too much."

Carlos shakes his head, cursing the lone tear that escapes, "I don't want to hurt you."

Mal scoffs, her tone laced with impatience, “As if Pup, c’mere.”

Carlos bites his lip, his gaze shifting to meet Mal's and shaking his head insistently. Mal grimaces as she props herself up, Evie shifts with her, freeing Mal’s good arm as Evie’s drape across Mal’s waist. Mal makes a grabby motion with her good arm, Carlos promptly ducks and gives her a pleading look. 

“You’re already hurt and I-” 

Mal growls, her voice getting louder with each word, “Are you really going to deny me my evil given right to pet your curls?” 

“M, I just…” Carlos stutters, words trailing off. 

Green eyes darken and Mal lets out a loud, exasperated groan. Evie’s hand moves to Mal’s leg, the soothing action doing little to calm her. 

Mal turns, throwing her hands up, teeth gritted through the pain as she all but screams, “You’re seriously going to deprive me? IN THESE TRYING TIMES?! Unacceptable!” 

Carlos’s eyes widen, his jaw dropping as Mal pouts in full force. Evie moves her fingers, carefully tracing patterns over Mal’s leg and her other hand gently running through Mal’s hair. 

“Just do it, so she’ll shut the hell up.” Jay grumbles, finally stirring from his slumber to glare at him. 

Carlos sighs, knowing he won’t win, not with Mal pouting and Jay sleepily grumbling. He shuffles closer, letting the tip of Mal’s fingers brush against his hair and very cautiously leaning into her touch. Mal waits all of 5 seconds before she yanks Carlos closer, wincing until she can find a comfortable position; her cast covered arm coming to rest atop of Carlos’s head. 

Mal lets out a contented sigh, eyes fluttering shut again. The bed starts to dip and Mal can’t help the smile spreading across her cheeks as Jay joins their cuddle pile, curling around Carlos and letting his hand rest over Mal’s stomach.

Mal doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, “How long was I out?” she eventually whispers.

“13 hours and 27 minutes.” Jay says, voice a little uneven. “A new record, even for you.” 

“And you stayed here all night?” Mal exclaims incredulously. 

She starts to shift but Evie’s hand gently presses Mal back down, her gaze soft yet firm. Mal sighs, resigning herself to her fate. 

“We were hardly going to leave you M,” Evie shakes her head, the disbelief evident in her tone. 

“And don’t even think about convincing us to go.” Jay threatens, giving Mal’s stomach a playful poke.

Mal huffs, grumbling a barely audible ‘I wasn’t’ under her breath. They hear her, they always do. 

“Yes you were.” The other three sing-song in sync, shooting Mal smug smirks. 

Mal rolls her eyes, blush colouring her cheeks as she sinks into their embrace. Her pout disappears as Evie presses a kiss to Mal's cheek.

"We're not going anywhere baby dragon." 

_Maybe letting them stay wasn't so bad._

* * *

"I can carry my own food, Jay." Mal hisses for the third time. 

Evie drapes an arm over Mal's shoulder and tugs her closer. She tucks a strand of Mal's hair behind her ear and presses her head to Mal's. 

"Let us take care of you, please."

Mal let's out a low grumble, "This is stupid. I can-" 

"Shut up and accept defeat." Jay quips over his shoulder. 

They easily navigate their way through the dining hall, Jay in front with a tray in each hand. Evie follows, tugging a begrudging Mal along. Their eyes scan the sea of people until they finally land on the familiar white hair gleaming in the distance. Carlos sits opposite Ben with Lonnie on his other side. Carlos’s hand taps the table as his gaze searches the room. His face breaks out into a dazzling smile when he spots them, beckoning them over with an enthusiastic wave. 

Jay leads the way, placing Mal's tray beside Carlos and gesturing for her to slide in. Mal starts to roll her eyes, stopping when Carlos grins at her. 

"They finally let you out of your castle," Carlos teases, arm slipping around Mal's waist as she slides in beside him. 

Mal lets her head fall to his shoulder and lets out a groan. "If I had to eat in the dorm again I'd go insane."

Jay guides Evie to sit opposite the other two, rushing to pull her chair out. Evie kisses his cheek and graciously sits down, fixing Mal with a stern look. 

"It's only been 5 days, M," Evie shakes her head, pressing on, "And you're supposed to be resting. The doctor said: no strenuous exercise, we’re allowed to be cautious.” 

Mal shoves her tray aside and folds her good arm across her chest. Carlos rubs his hand up and down Mal’s back, and she visibly relaxes into his touch. A smile threatens to replace what feels like a permanent pout. 

“Evie’s right, you need to take it easy and eat up,” Jay slides Mal's tray back infront of her and taps the corner. “C’mon, it’s not that hard.”

Mal rolls her eyes, glaring perpetually at the offending item. Jay sighs, placing his fork down and pinching his nose, “Stop wasting your energy on sulking and just eat your soup.”

Jay waits until Mal’s spoon is in her hand before returning to his own food, sharing a slightly smug smile with Evie. Mal grumbles, taking small sips of her soup and trying not to wrinkle her nose in disgust. Carlos gives Mal’s leg a gentle squeeze, subtly shifting closer. The sound of a throat clearing brings them out of their bubble, turning their attention to the rest of the people around the table. 

“How are you doing, Mal?” Ben asks softly.

“Just fantastic.” Mal says sweetly before stabbing her fork into a piece of bread, biting with more aggression that necessary. 

Ben hums thoughtfully, blissfully ignorant to the disdain rising in Mal’s eyes. There’s a thud and Mal shoots a glare in Evie’s direction. Evie shakes her head, mouthing a ‘be nice’ before turning back to Ben with an apologetic smile. 

“Don’t mind her, she’s been in pain since she woke up,” Evie explains, her lips forming a pout.

Mal curses, all eyes falling upon her - their heads tilted and their smiles pitying. Her cheeks stained red as she ducks her head, stiffening under all the unwanted attention. Jay swoops in to the rescue. His eyes sparkling with mirth, a playful smile curling his lips. 

“Breaking your arm to get out of algebra was pretty genius,” Jay grins and wiggles his eyebrows, earning several chuckles and a half-smile from Mal.

Evie shakes her head with an affectionate smile. Jay nudges her shoulder, head not so subtly jerking in Mal’s direction. She shifts, leaning across the table to place a hand over Mal’s cast. Mal doesn’t shy away, smiling as Evie traces a heart over the material.

“Maybe we could get some stronger medication,” Carlos suggests, feeling the burn of Mal’s eyes upon him and hastily adds, “And some strawberry candies wouldn’t hurt.” 

Ben smiles and claps his hands, “Of course, I'll have Lumiere deliver them tonight.” 

"Hey, so I was thinking," Lonnie looks to Mal with a smile, "We should all sign your cast."

Mal cocks her head to the side and arches her brow, "Huh?" 

"It's a tradition - to cheer people up," Lonnie explains eagerly. "Andre has markers in his bag. It'll be fun!" 

Mal shrugs her shoulder, "Could be cool," she agreed, holding up a warning finger. "Just nothing in pink."

"We wouldn't dream of besmirching your name, your Royal Crankiness." Carlos insists dramatically bowing. 

Mal shoves his shoulder, cracking a smile when he immediately bounces back. 

It doesn't take long for the colours to be passed around, and Mal can't help but smirk at each of her partners brandishing their signature Isle coloured markers. Evie stops the boys from engaging in a marker duel, the three of them getting priority to sign. Carlos's growl left no room for arguments. 

"Jay stop it!" Evie hisses, swatting his hand as it creeps over to her section. 

"I'm not doing anything Princess." Jay says with an all too innocent smile. 

Evie sneers and elbows him back to his side, leaning closer to continue her work. Carlos rolls his eyes at the pair, and shares an amused smile with Mal. Her hand rests in his hair, mindlessly twirling a finger through his curls. 

Carlos tilts his head, tongue poking out in concentration. 

"Stop being so cute," Mal whines and pokes Carlos's arm. 

He flashes her a sweet smile, blushing under the intensity of her gaze. Jay sits up and smirks, shamelessly running his eyes over Carlos. 

"He can't help being an angel." Jay teases in a sing-song tone. 

Carlos scoffs, flicking his marker lid at Jay's nose, "Shut up." 

"Face it Pup, you're cute," Jay sniggers, tossing it back and leaning into Evie's space, "isn't that right Princess?" 

Evie looks up with dreamy eyes, her voice soft and alluring, "The cutest. Especially with the pink on your cheeks."

Carlos ducks his head, getting back to work as the other three chuckle. Mal ruffles his hair and brings her gaze to Jay, watching in amusement as he scribbles his way over to Evie. He whispers something that has Evie giggling and telling him to behave, her cheeks deliciously flushed. 

Mal hides her smile behind her hand, perfectly content to let them leave their marks. Evie finishes first, leaning down to leave a lipstick print beside her handiwork. Slowly the AK's make their way over, each leaving their own mark (though nowhere near as large as the others. Mal feels her heart warm at the possessiveness sparking in Jay's eyes as he bumps Chad out of the way before he can do more than doodle a crown.)

“Did you have to be so crude, Charmer?” Evie admonishes, her lips tugging up into a smirk. 

Jay drapes an arm across her shoulders, his voice low as he flashes her a sultry smile, “Don’t act like you hate it, Princess.” 

“Mhmm,” Evie leans forward with a determined stance, finger slowly trailing up Jay’s arm, “You know I don’t.” 

No one can tell who leans in first, Evie’s hands in Jay’s hair and his hands cupping her neck. Their lips brush softly, effortlessly sinking into the embrace. Evie lets her lips hover just shy of Jay’s, giggling when he tugs until she’s perched in his lap. Carlos bites his lip, pleased to see Mal with a similar reaction both utterly transfixed by the display. Jay tugs on the end of Evie’s hair eliciting a strained groan, tilting her head to deepen the kiss. 

“Are they always like this?” Lonnie stage whispers. 

Carlos nods and Mal chuckles, balling up a napkin and tossing it at the pair. Evie pulls back just in time to avoid it, blushing furiously and sliding back into her own seat. Jay leans back with a smug grin, not bothering to hide his amusement. Mal shakes her head, turning back to her food with a small frown. Her gaze flits to Ben and back to her stone cold soup, the hint of a spell on the tip of her tongue. Mal exhales, shoving her tray away with a defeated pout.

“Have some of this M.” Evie offers, her voice low and warning. 

Evie wiggles her fork, offering the cake to Mal with a smile. Mal reaches for the fork, eyebrows furrowing when Evie tightens her grip. 

“You don’t need to feed me, E.” Mal grumbles, holding her good hand out. 

Evie moves the fork closer as Mal clamps her lips shut, promptly turning her head. Jay looks to Carlos, both rolling their eyes in sync. 

"I am perfectly capable of eating by myself!"

Mal rolls her eyes for what feels like the hundredth time, perpetually glaring at the fork. Evie flutters her eyelashes and waves the fork in front of Mal's lips. 

"Just eat the cake!" 

Jay rubs his temples, he cannot listen to this argument again (the first night had been bad enough, with Mal refusing to cave for half an hour and only giving in when Evie had climbed into her lap; leveling her with a pout that none of them could refuse). At this rate he was tempted to just throw the damn food at her, just to get Mal to shut up. 

Evie waves the fork more insistently, brow raised as she waits. Mal looks to Carlos, deflating when he simply shakes his head and points to the fork. With a groan she leans forward and let's Evie feed her. Making a point not to moan at the sweet taste. 

Mal slumps in her seat, pout already forming, "You guys suck."

Carlos laughs softly and gently bumps Mal’s shoulder, “Yeah, yeah. We love you too, dummy.” 

* * *

_Auradon Prep's Art Room is everything Mal needed. The way it shines and catches in the light. Just the smell is intoxicating. The room was quiet when Mal crept in, finding a space in the corner of the room to just breathe it in._

_Mal sets her bag aside, glancing at her phone before placing it on the desk behind her. She wasn't doing anything wrong, the doctor didn't say Mal had to stay in the dorm room 24/7. It was only a quick stop, she reasons with herself._

_Gathering the essentials was a balancing act as Mal staggers back gripping paint brushes between her teeth. Mal settles down in front of an easel, paints set out as she shifts, gaze falling to the cast on her dominant hand. Maybe if she just took it off…_

_Mal’s phone chirped obnoxiously, vibrating against the desk. She ignores it, dipping her brush in the purple paint and shakily bringing it to the canvas. ‘Get a grip, you can do this’ Mal huffs out a breath and steadies herself to paint another stroke. The door slams open, paintbrush falling from Mal’s fingers as she whips around, her eyes burning dangerously. She instantly freezes as Evie strides into the room with a thunderous expression._

_“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Evie snaps, hands thrown in the air._

_Mal gets up, slowly approaching but keeping distance between them. Evie has no such qualms and easily invades Mal’s space._

_She jabs a finger to Mal’s chest, “You’re supposed to be resting.”_

_“I needed to stretch my legs,” Mal offers, shifting uncomfortably on the balls of her feet, “No big deal.”_

_Evie scoffs and shakes her head, “It is too a big deal Mal Bertha. I had no idea where you were, if anything had happened to you,” her face softens and she takes Mal’s hand, “I know you’re frustrated and you’re in pain. I get that, but you can’t take off like that, okay?”_

_“C’mon, it’s not like I went back to The Isle,” Mal chuckles, gently bumping Evie’s shoulder._

_“That’s not funny.” Evie folds her arms._

_A lazy smirk spreads across Mal’s lips, “It’s a little funny.”_

_Evie shakes her head, her lips twitch betraying her true feelings. She holds up a finger in warning, smiling when Mal completely ignores it and nestles into her touch. Evie runs a hand through Mal’s hair, her lips brushing the top of her head._

_“M, promise me you won’t do this again.”_

Mal’s fingers clutch the door handle, shaking her head as though shaking away the memories from the week before. No turning back, Mal thinks, 3 weeks in hell was long enough. She’s out the door before she has time to rethink her decision, gaze flitting round as she hugs Carlos’s hoodie tighter. The sleeves are a little too big; but the bagginess works in Mal's favour, easily concealing her cast. The fabric is soft and Mal takes a minute to revel in the added warmth, almost as good as getting a hug from Carlos himself.

No one notices as Mal makes her way through the quad. Most of the students would still be in their last classes and navigating her way to the tourney field is almost too easy. Mal slips into the changing room undetected and leans against the door breathing out a sigh of relief. 

Mal hadn't intended to like playing tourney. At first it was an excuse to have something over Chad. It wasn't supposed to be fun, but something about not being able to play only made Mal want it more. Jay spent every practice reiterating that if Mal so much as lifted a finger ‘Evie would poison them both’. Despite much protesting, Mal hadn’t won that argument and had been forced to stay on the bench, watching with hopeless longing. Not today, Mal reminds herself, mentally going over her plan once more. A plan so deliciously cunning even Maleficent should be proud. Mal scoffs and shakes her head, pushing all thoughts of that woman aside. She had to focus- 

The sound of the door opening brings Mal’s attention back, instantly getting to her feet. Mal spins around, coming face to face with the very person she wanted to meet. Jace greets her with a wave, stopping before her, his head tilted in confusion. 

“Hey Mal, what are you doing in here?”

“Can’t a girl drop in to see her team,” Mal says with dramatic intonation, batting her eyelashes for effect. 

Jace snorts, voice teasing, “S’pose, but they don’t usually lurk in changing rooms.” he arches an eyebrow.

Mal pretends to pout, “Damn, you caught me.” her voice turns sickly sweet, internally fighting the urge to roll her eyes at herself, “I need your help.” 

“My help?” His eyes sparkle, a boyish grin tugging at his lips. 

“I’m...uh-...playing a prank on Jay, it’s just a little joke,” Mal laughs, and steps a little closer, “But- I’m going to need your jersey.” 

Jace’s face contorts, unable to hide a laugh of his own, “My jersey? Why would you want that?” 

Mal rolls her eyes, “it’s not important.” snapping her fingers impatiently, “Are you gonna help or not?”

Jace looks at her, “I uh- I don’t think so Mal.” he steps closer, his gaze softening, “The guys will be here soon, you should go.”

Mal clenches her jaw and exhales slowly. Her smile slips away as she moves forward. Jace’s eyes widen and he takes a step back, glancing at Mal with unease. 

“Are you okay? You seem-” 

“I’m fine!” Mal snaps, closing her eyes for a moment. A burning sensation courses through her veins, the pressure quickly building and her eyes snap open. Mal brings herself up to her full height and stalks forward, determination flickering within her deep green eyes. 

Jace shrinks under her gaze, backing up until his back meets the lockers with a sharp thud. Mal’s arm presses against him, using her cast to keep him steady. Her voice is low and menacing, something she’d used regularly on The Isle. 

“Listen to me very carefully,” Mal snarls, eyes flickering dangerously, “You are going to give me your jersey and helmet, so I can play in today’s game. You won’t tell anyone.”

Jace’s eyes widen, his voice shaky as he stammers, “B-b-but your arm. I don’t think-”

Mal clamps a hand over his mouth, arm pressing further against him. Jace gulps, looking back at her with pleading eyes. She shakes her head and hisses, her voice leaving no room for argument. 

“This isn’t a discussion. You’re going to do it,” a flicker of softness seeps into her tone, “I don’t want to hurt you Jace,” the softness vanishing almost immediately as she continues, “But if you try and stop me, I may have to reconsider. Is that clear?” 

She punctuates her words with a harsh shove, waiting until Jace gives her a shaky nod before stepping back. He hastily retrieves his uniform, offering it to her, his eyes downcast. Mal takes the items, her hand lingering for a moment before she steps back. Jace rushes to the door, turning back briefly to look at her.

“Are you sure about this?” Jace asks, his expression a mixture of fear and a hint of concern. 

Mal stays silent, turning away before he can see the guilt rising. She swallows an apology and turns back to Jace, her expression firm as she points to the door.

“Go.” She commands, edging a fraction closer and watching him scramble out the door. 

For a moment Mal considers calling an apology after him, but dismisses the thought, now wasn’t the time for distractions. Broken arm be damned, she was going to play and if it meant upsetting a few people in the process, then so be it. With a new sense of determination Mal busies herself with pulling on her uniform, making sure to conceal her cast with a long sleeved t-shirt and tightly tucking her hair up. 

\---

Evie and Carlos had settled into the stands, Jay leaning over the divider to talk to them while they waited for Mal. He wasn't in the starting rotation of the game, giving him a perfect excuse to admire how good Evie looked wearing his varsity jacket. Evie had the sleeves rolled up, the jacket still managing to hug her curves as it falls low. Carlos had stolen Mal’s jacket, the item fitting him perfectly. 

“You’re both looking fantastic,” Jay flashes them a charming smile. 

Carlos drapes an arm over Evie’s shoulder, turning to Jay with a smirk toying at his lips. Evie adopts a similar expression, a teasing glint in her eye, both answering perfectly in sync, “Oh, we know.” 

Jay chuckles, gaze lingering on them before it flicks to the crowd, uncertainty clouding his gaze. “Mal on her way?”

“She said she was getting a drink first,” Evie looks around, a small crease appearing between her eyebrows, “But, that was 20 minutes ago.”

"Knowing her royal crankiness, she's probably spent most of the day sleeping," Carlos rubs Evie's shoulder, chuckling at the thought, "And only woke up when you called."

Evie exhales and leans into Carlos's touch. She gives him a small smile, eyes still full of concern. "Mhmm, you're probably right."

"Make sure you tease Mal, when she eventually graces us with her presence." Jay teases, earning a soft giggle from Carlos. 

Evie shakes her head, with a fond smile and presses a chaste kiss to Jay's lips. 

"Be careful Charmer."

Jay gives her a salute, winking as he jogs back to the bench. But an uneasy feeling tugged at his brain. His gaze darts around, watching as the team set up their first play. There’s something Jay can’t quite put his finger on, a sinking feeling spreading in the pit of his stomach. 

His gaze falls to Jace, slowly jogging into position up left. Huh, that’s weird - Jay shakes his head, he could’ve sworn Jace usually stayed towards the back of the field. Jay keeps his focus on Jace, eyes narrowing at the long sleeved shirt. The game had only been in play for a minute but Jay’s brain was going into overdrive, unable to tear his gaze from Jace. No, it couldn’t be - the way Jace was jogging looked familiar. The cogs in Jay’s brain stop and his eyes widen. He’d recognize Mal’s style any day. A sliver of purple is all the confirmation he needs. 

Jay is up in a heartbeat, ignoring the calls of his name as he races onto the pitch. Everything around them freezes, the game coming to a halt as they quickly move out of Jay’s way. He reaches his target, grabbing Mal’s arm before she can go any further. Jay spins her around, a thunderous expression on his face.

“What the fuck are you doing?!” He asks incredulously, his hands trembling (though from rage or anxiety, it can’t be certain.) 

Mal laughs a little too loudly, “Calm down, Jay, it’s not as bad as it looks.” She shakes her head and removes her helmet, smile still in place.

Jay throws his hands up, “You’re seriously going to stand here and say it’s not that bad?!” 

He shakes his head, staring at her in disbelief. Mal exhales and holds her uninjured hand up, “Alright, I’m sorry, geez.” 

“No you’re not.” Jay snaps, anger rising with Mal’s indifference, “Do you realise how insanely stupid this is? What’s it going to take to get through to that thick skull of yours?!” 

"I'm not having this conversation with you. Just let it go." Mal takes a step back, her jaw tightening. 

Jay pinches his nose and exhales, "Emotionally speaking, if judo flipping you into the ground would knock some sense into you - I would." 

Mal's eyes gleam, lips curling into a challenging smirk, "You think a broken arm will stop me from kicking your ass?" 

"This isn't a joke Mal!" Jay spits, struggling to keep his voice level, "Why would you try something this idiotic?"

Mal shrugs and for a second there's a glimmer of vulnerability in her eye. It's gone just as fast, her lips curling into a frown. 

Jay presses on, his gaze softening, "Whatever is going on, you can talk to me. I'm worried about you."

"I'm fine." Mal says with a clipped tone, pointedly not meeting his gaze.

In one move Jay steps forward, hoisting Mal into his arms and slinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. 

“Put me down.” Mal commands, feebly batting her good arm against Jay’s back, “What the hell?!” 

Jay easily carries her off the field, the gathering crowd quickly parting. Carlos and Evie have already made their way onto the field and the sound of Evie’s shouting gets louder as Jay approaches. Evie stops mid argument with Coach as Carlos tugs on her arm, trying to soothe her obvious anxiety. 

“Don’t you pay attention to your players?” Evie snarls, pointing an accusatory finger at the man. 

Carlos wraps his hand around Evie’s wrist, giving it a firm but still gentle tug, “Eves, it’s ok-” 

“No, it isn’t okay!” Evie snaps, whirling around to face Carlos, her lips curled into a deep frown.

“I...didn’t mean-” Carlos looks down, fingers slackening around Evie’s wrist, “...I’m sorry.” 

Evie shakes her head, stepping closer and giving his hand a quick squeeze. The anger washes away, her gaze softens as she uses a finger to tilt his chin back up, “I shouldn't have snapped, I’m sorry.” 

Carlos nods, giving Evie a small smile to convey he wasn't mad. Evie starts to respond, eyes widening as Jay sets Mal down. She's closing the space in an instant and pulling Mal tightly to her chest. 

"I'm so glad you're okay." Evie whispers into Mal’s ear, her voice barely audible. 

Mal squeaks at the force and awkwardly pats Evie’s back, sending a glare Jay’s way. He shakes his head, arms folded and anger still written across his face. After a few minutes Evie pulls back, as if suddenly remembering, her previous frustration bubbling back to the surface. 

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” Evie cries, shoving Mal's shoulder. 

Mal reaches for Evie’s hand, a small frown forming when Evie bats her hand away. She quickly schools her expression, "E, it's okay, I'm okay." 

"Obviously you're not," Evie throws her hands up, "If you're doing something this idiotic! And don't you dare say it's no big deal Mal Bertha." She points a finger accusingly. 

Mal sighs, gaze shifting from Evie to Jay, an almost helpless expression on her face, "Don't you think you're overreacting a little."

Evie scoffs at the same time Jay let's out an indignant groan. 

"For Hades sake Mal, you have a broken arm," Jay stresses and steps closer, "Or did you forget?!" 

Mal grits her teeth, mumbling, "Like I could."

"How could you do something so reckless? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Evie asks, clutching her chest. 

Mal shakes her head, lip tugged between her teeth. Evie raises an eyebrow and steps closer, her hand cupping Mal's shoulder. 

"We deserve an explanation Mal. Just, talk to us."

"You wouldn't understand." Mal shrugs, not meeting their gaze. She exhales, turning on her heel and moving to walk away. 

Jay is quicker, grabbing her wrist and tugging Mal back, "Oh, no you don't."

"M, please-" Evie softens, her voice a quiet plea, "You can't keep doing this to yourself. You could've gotten hurt!"

"But I didn't!" Mal cries indignantly, "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" She shrugs Jay's hand off, tone laced with accusation, "Why don't you guys trust me?" 

Carlos steps forward, finally looking at Mal, his eyes shining with unshed tears, "Do you honestly think that?" 

They're the first words he says and Mal can feel her resolve crumbling, unable to tear her gaze from the hurt clouding his eyes. She stiffens feeling the heat of 3 sets of eyes staring expectantly. 

"No, I just," Mal falters, voice uncharacteristically nervous. "I don’t understand why you’re making such a big deal about this.” 

Jay gapes at her, in disbelief, unable to process her words. Carlos shakes his head, anxiety flooding his features as Evie lets out a choked sob.

“You promised you wouldn’t do this, Mal!” Evie’s voice cracks over every word, unable to stop her tears from falling, “You lied to us…”

Mal pales, biting her lip and letting out a slow exhale. She doesn’t dare look at Evie as her words come tumbling out before she can think, “Technically I promised not to go to the art room.”

Evie gasps, her lip trembles and for a long moment she’s silent. There’s something unreadable in Evie’s eyes, and Mal takes a cautious step back. Suddenly, Evie's lips start to move, soundlessly repeating what Mal had just said. Her jaw goes tight, and then she lunges forward, stopped by Jay’s strong arms encircling her waist and pulling her back. Jay fixes Mal with a pointed look, and doesn’t let up until Mal mutters an apology under her breath.

“What you did was bad Mal,” Jay says exasperated. “Anything could’ve happened to you.” 

“But it didn’t.” Mal snaps and gestures widely as though to emphasise her point.

Jay groans, voice shaking as he struggles to control his anger, “That’s not the fucking point! You put yourself in danger and for what?! To terrify us all?” 

Mal stutters, shaking her head as angry tears start to fall and she stresses her words, “I needed to play."

The other three look into those bright green eyes, burning with emotions they can’t quite place. Mal runs a hand through her hair, taking in their incredulous expressions with unease. Evie opens and closes her mouth, wordlessly mouthing Mal’s words in disbelief. Jay’s expression softens, concern etched across his face. Mal’s gaze flits to Carlos, a gasp spilling from her lips at the amount of anxiety coursing through him. Mal steps towards Carlos, his name falling off of her lips, barely audible and softer than any of them have ever heard Mal speak. 

"Carlos," Mal reaches for his hand, eyes wide and pleading. "Tell me you understand."

"I-I can't." Carlos shakes his head, his whole body trembling. 

Mal opens her mouth, cut off by Carlos's broken tone. His voice cracks, the sheer volume bursting out laced with hurt and anger. 

"YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT!"

In the aftermath of his shout, the silence is deafening. Mal knows she's crying too, can't stop it as she stares back at Carlos. Evie places a hand on Carlos's arm, the action doing little to comfort him. Tears stream down Carlos's cheeks, lip quivering as he opens his eyes and meets Mal's gaze. Mal moves her hands as though to reach for Carlos, pulling them back at the last second his heartbreak mirrored in her eyes.

"You could've gotten hurt," he says, his voice soft and cracking. "We didn't know if you were going to be okay. I thought--I" 

Evie rubs Carlos's arm, her eyes welling up as he stifles his crying. He brings his focus back to Mal, forcing his voice to be steady despite the anxiety he still feels. 

“You didn’t wake up for hours Mal; not even when the doctor put your cast on,” Carlos stresses, his voice hoarse. “When I think about you getting hurt like that again- I can’t breathe.” he winces, letting out a ragged exhale. 

"I-I didn't mean-" Mal starts, cutting herself off with a broken sob, "I'm sorry. I couldn't think, I-"

Carlos pulls Mal to his chest, his arm wrapping around her and his other hand gently running though her hair. He presses his lips to the top of Mal's head, whispering gently to shush her. Both of their sobs melding into one. 

Jay moves to Evie’s side, taking her hand in his and giving it a light squeeze. 

"We're not done talking about this." His voice is steadier than he feels. "But let's go somewhere more private. This isn't a conversation _they_ need to hear."

Evie follows his gaze, her eyes narrowing at the group of people staring at them. She squares her shoulders, her eyes like steel. Evie's more than a little smug at how quickly they disperse. She moves to Mal and Carlos, gently tapping Carlos's shoulder. 

His eyes are red and Evie brings a hand to his cheek, wiping away a rogue tear and kissing the spot her thumb brushed. Carlos gives her a small smile, leaning into Evie’s touch. 

"Jay's right, we should go somewhere comfortable."

They both turn to Mal, gazes soft and laced with understanding. Carlos still holds Mal, his hand idly tracing patterns across her back. Evie quirks one eyebrow, lips tugging into a teasing smile. 

"What do you say, M?" 

Mal brings her gaze upward, meeting Evie’s warm chocolate eyes and she feels the tell-tale burning of her own fade away, fiery green dimming to a softer shade of green. The corner of Mal's lips twitch, the ghost of a smile forming as familiar words tumble from her lips. 

"Let's blow this popsicle stand."

\---

The walk back to their dorm room was quiet, all of them in a contemplative silence as the weight of the incident sank in. Carlos didn’t let go of Mal, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist as they trailed behind. Evie had led the way, hand intertwined with Jay’s as they walked. Jay had insisted they all get into their casual clothes, wanting to make sure their talk was met with the right tone. Not even Mal could be upset when Jay was in his snake onesie. The one and only time Mal had tried to remain indifferent, Jay decided to use his snake mittens to tickle her into submission. 

Mal sits in the middle of the bed, wearing one of Jay’s t-shirts and draped in Carlos’s weighted blanket (a gift Jane had suggested to help with the VK’s anxiety). Evie sits beside her, hand resting on Mal’s and tracing her finger in heart shapes across the back of Mal’s hand. Carlos and Jay sit opposite, cuddled in on one another and Dude nestled by Carlos’s feet. 

“I want to talk about what happened.” Evie begins softly, eyeing the others with apprehension. 

“Do we have to?” Mal groans, finger anxiously toying with the hem of the blanket, and muttering, “I already said I’m sorry.”

Evie gently turns Mal’s face towards her and tucks a strand of hair behind Mal’s ear. She lets her thumb brush Mal’s cheek, speaking with a tone that was firm but soft and understanding. 

“Yes, I think we do. If you were willing to do something this chaotic,” Evie picks her words carefully, “Then it’s worth talking about. You can trust us, M.” 

“We’re not going anywhere, no matter how many crazy stunts you pull," Jay stresses, a teasing lilt to his tone. "You’re stuck with us, alright?”

Mal brings her gaze upward as Jay gives her a warm smile and playfully nudges her foot. He repeats the action until Mal rolls her eyes, a small, hesitant smile forming at the corner of her lips. She nods, gaze flicking to Carlos and arching an eyebrow. 

"Why'd you do it, Mal?" Carlos asks softly. 

"I wanted to." Mal bites her lip, her eyes shifting between the three of them before they scrunch shut, and she releases a loud groan. "Ugh I mean, do you have any idea what it's like? Being trapped in here, with nothing to do but wait until one of you came back?" 

Evie shifts closer to Mal, her hand coming up to rest on Mal’s shoulder. She rubs her fingers back and forth in a soothing motion. It’s enough that Mal takes it as a sign to continue. 

"I was going out of my mind and everyone was bringing me all these weird gifts. Audrey brought me a potted plant. _Audrey!_ "

Jay sniggers, ignoring the glare Mal shoots his way, “I was wondering why we had an army of plants on the windowsill.” 

“If I get one more, I swear!” Mal clenches her fist, eyes gleaming that familiar dangerous green.

Carlos places a hand over Mal’s, he gently uncurls her fingers to interlace their fingers. When her gaze drifts back to his, Carlos tilts his head with a smile. “C’mon Mal, you’re not really mad about a plant.” 

“Yes I am.” Mal half-heartedly grumbles 

Evie gently bumps Mal’s shoulder, “What’s really bothering you, M?”

"E,” Mal says with a sigh, as though testing the name on her lips, “You've been doing everything for me. You’re not letting me do anything for myself, it’s exhausting."

"I didn't hear any complaints in the shower last night." Evie folds her arms, a smirk dancing on her lips.

"That's not-" Mal's cheeks flush a deep beetroot and she shakes her head and huffs, "Oh shut up. You know that's not what I meant."

Jay puts a hand on Evie’s leg, squeezing it before twisting to face Mal, eyebrow raised expectantly. "Then what did you mean, Mal?" 

"I just felt…trapped." She whispers the word, letting it hang in the air for a flicker of a moment and then, "Everyone kept telling me what to do and, ugh, I couldn't fucking stand it."

"You could've talked to us," Carlos looks down, his voice wavering, "You're always telling us we shouldn't be ashamed of our feelings. So, why are you?" 

Mal opens her mouth but no words come out before she’s clamping her jaw shut again. Her gaze flicks from Carlos, to Evie, to Jay and back to Carlos. His words cut her like a knife. Her cheeks are quickly reddening, eyes starting to get that dangerous flicker in them. Carlos reaches for Mal’s hand, anything to stop what he knows is about to happen. It’s too late, Mal is shifting to the edge of the bed and Carlos is frozen in anticipation as she launches herself off the bed; and lets out a dragon-like scream. Her eyes burn as she struggles to keep them shut, hands balling into fists as Mal snaps. 

"I DON'T KNOW, ALRIGHT?!" Mal spins around and stomps to the other side of the room. 

Jay starts to get up, stopping when Evie places her hand over his. He exhales loudly and runs a hand through his hair, anything to stop himself from getting up. Evie shakes her head, trying her best to ignore the ache in her chest. The sound of Carlos’s ragged breathing pulls her attention back. She quickly closes the space and takes Carlos’s hands in hers, the other gently tilting his chin to guide his gaze to hers. 

“It’s okay Carlos.” Evie whispers gently and gives his hand a squeeze, “Mal’s not upset with you.” 

Jay leans in closer, bumping Carlos’s shoulder playfully as he whispers, “you know what dragons are like.” 

Carlos croaks out a weak laugh and shakes his head, “I didn’t mean to upset her.” 

“Mal’s already upset,” Evie waves her hand, gesturing to the purple ball of rage still pacing around their room, “She just needs a minute to cool off.”

Mal stops mid pace, feeling the heat of three pairs of eyes upon her.

"Stop looking at me!" 

"M, just relax-" 

Evie's voice is soft, like silk but it does nothing to calm the fire burning in Mal's chest. 

"All I've been doing is relaxing! I'm not allowed to play because I might get hurt," Mal sneers, her eyes burning more with each word, "I can't paint, or get my own food. I'm missing class for fucks sake," Mal lets out a self-deprecating laugh, head falling to rest against the wall. “I’m so fucking tired. When did I become this useless? All because of a stupid broken arm?! I shouldn’t have to ask for help!” 

"Mal," Carlos tries, standing up and crossing the space between them. 

Jay and Evie follow him, but they all hang back a little ways so as not to crowd Mal. They watch her with saddened gazes as she rests her head against the wall, her voice small and broken.

"I thought I was done being locked in my room when we left the Isle." 

Tears prick the corner of Mal’s eyes as she finally turns around, focus flitting between the other three before settling on Jay’s soft gaze. Evie leans into Carlos, tears welling in the corner of her eyes. After a few seconds of contemplation Jay reaches for Mal, sighing as she shrugs out of his hold, anger quickly resurfacing.

"See, _this_ is why I didn't want to tell you. I don’t need pity stares!" Mal spits the words, grumbling as she paces back and forth in front of them, gesturing wildly with her hands, "You're looking at me differently, because you think I'm weak. I hate this!" 

Evie shakes her head and speaks with a gentle tone, "That's not true Mal. You're injured, there's a difference,” she takes Mal’s hand stopping her mid pace, “We were trying to help, maybe we went a little overboard." 

Mal exhales, gaze downcast watching the way Evie’s thumb brushes against her wrist. A small smile twitches at the corner of Mal’s lips, warmth spreading through her at the calming gesture. Mal lets Evie pull her back to the bed, sitting down and letting her head fall to rest against Evie’s shoulder. 

Carlos sits by Mal’s legs, fingers tracing shapes over her knee, his soft gaze locked with Mal’s slowly dimming green. Jay sits beside Carlos, one hand aimlessly running through his soft curls and the other grasping Mal’s hand. 

"Seeing you in the hospital bed, I was really scared,” Jay admits in a small voice, “Auradon is supposed to be safe and you got hurt _here._ ” 

Mal hums thoughtfully, but offers no verbal response. Her gaze softens, and she nods for Jay to continue.

He shakes his head, stressing his words, “I'm not going to apologise for feeling protective. But I _am_ sorry if we made you feel trapped."

"We're still learning how to acknowledge our feelings,” Evie adds gently, tucking a strand of hair behind Mal’s ear, “I know it's really hard to communicate when we're struggling, believe me - I get that, but we need to find a way to break down those walls, together."

“Maybe we can come up with a system,” Carlos suggests, a quick and eager grin spreading across his lips.

Jay lets his hand drop to rest on Carlos’s shoulder, playfully tugging on the end of one of his curls, “What did ya have in mind, Pup?” 

Carlos sits up, sitting on the balls of his feet and lifting his gaze to meet Mal's. She curves an eyebrow, an amused smile working its way onto her lips. Carlos exhales, gaze drifting back to his hands as he speaks. 

"We could uh- have a signal, for if one of us is upset. If we're in class, you send a word or an emoji," Carlos wrings his hands together, "And we can work on distracting you or coming to see you. Whatever you need," he slowly brings his gaze up to meet the others. "Do- Does that sound okay?" 

"That's a great idea, baby," Evie nods, reaching across to take Carlos's hand in hers. 

A blush spreads across Carlos’s face, he smiles bashfully and interlaces their fingers, giving Evie’s hand a light squeeze. He shifts to catch Jay's gaze and visibly relaxes at the nod of affirmation he receives.

"E's right, it sounds like a really good idea," he lets out a contemplative sigh, "-But what if the person doesn't want to talk? And they do something crazy and stupid." Jay prompts, not-so-subtly jerking his head in Mal's direction. 

Mal fixes him with a cold stare, arms folding across her chest. Jay stares back, a challenging look still in place despite the heat of Mal's gaze. Green eyes narrow and Mal clenches her jaw, her lips drawn into a tight line. 

"Quit it!" Mal snaps, jabbing a finger in Jay's direction. 

He effortlessly bats her finger away, leaning up to bring their faces closer together, "I'm not doing anything." 

Mal’s eyes gleam brighter, her annoyance starting to rise, “if you have something to say to me fucking say it.” 

"Hey, both of you stop. We're not going to get anywhere if we're at one another's throats," Evie looks from Mal to Jay, shifting closer and resting a hand on top of his, "I can tell there's more you want to say, Charmer."

Jay shakes his head and starts to move back, stopping when Mal’s hand clutches his arm. Her fingers cling to his arm, almost clawing at the skin and Jay can’t take his eyes off of them; something unreadable in his expression. 

Mal stares up at him, her gaze softening, "I can take it Jay."

Jay exhales and shifts on the balls of his feet. He takes Mal's arm, fingers trailing over the raised bumps he's all too familiar with. Mal shivers at the touch, head tilted as she glances at Jay. He doesn't meet her gaze, eyes following the path his fingers make tracing and retracing over the scarred patch along her arm. Jay brings his gaze upward, warm brown meeting deep green. Mal staggers back under the weight of his gaze, watching him with a conflicted expression. Jay runs his fingers in a j shape over Mal's biggest scar, his eyes locking with Mal's for a long minute. 

"Wait, you don't actually think…" Mal shakes her head, her eyes dimming to their palest shade of green as the day she got that scar races through her mind.

It had been a bad night, a quest gone wrong. The third one that week, Mal kept on pushing no matter how exasperated Jay got. Jay told Mal to leave it, forget about the necklace, it was only to round out one day’s quota, he’d be okay. Jafar had tons of junk already. But Mal wanted to go back for it, even if she had to cut through an iron fence of barbed wire. The gap was big enough she wouldn’t have to touch the iron, she’d reasoned with herself. Jay's voice had been drowned out, Maleficent's cruel taunting taking its place as Mal reached for the necklace, her fingers just grasping it when an unyielding pain had ripped through her body. She'd pulled her arm back and the blood trickling down made her head spin.

Even now, she can feel the ghost of Jay's hand clammy around her, the first hint of panic she'd ever heard in his voice as he called her name before she sagged into his arms. Mal shakes her head, trying to shake the memory as she looks at Jay with unease.

Jay stills his movements and draws his hand back, arms folding stiffly across his chest. 

"What am I supposed to think?" 

Mal stills, her eyes wide and her lower lip tugged between her teeth. Jay looks back at her, his expression tight and his eyes shining with hurt. 

"Jay c'mon I-" Mal steps forward, her voice quieter than usual. 

He steps back, his gaze downcast as a lone tear trickles down his cheek. Mal stutters, mouth opening and closing as she stares helplessly at Jay. Green eyes flicker between shades, never settling on one definite colour. 

"This is exactly why we need to talk," Evie sighs, one of a sad understanding, "We need to start letting one another in and not showing what we think people want to see," she says, levelling Mal with a pointed stare. 

Mal starts to respond, her retort falling short as Evie’s words start to sink in. Carlos slings an arm around Evie’s shoulder and gives it a little squeeze. 

"Eves is right," the two share a smirk, "As usual. There's clearly something we need to discuss and sweeping it under the carpet isn't an option anymore."

"It's only the four of us here, after all this time I think we know there's no judgement between us."

Mal scoffs, her face scrunched, "Yeah, right."

"Don't do that." Jay snaps, glaring into deep green eyes, "We love you. Even when you're being stupid."

When Mal's only response is to purse her lips Jay scrunches his eyes shut and releases a defeated groan. 

"C'mon Mal, we need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about Jay! You're wrong- it's not," Mal runs a hand through her hair and shakes her head, "it's not happening again. I'm good, alright?" 

Jay shuffles a fraction closer, hand hovering near Mal's shoulder deliberating before he let's it rest there. His thumb rubs in slow circles, his voice layered with a rare nervousness. 

"Mal, how long have you been planning to do this?" 

"What? I've not-" 

Jay clenches his jaw, disbelief written on his features, "C'mon Mal. Talk to me, please. How long after you got injured did you start planning your ‘daring debut’?" 

The corner of Mal's lips twitch, an amused smirk starting to surface. 

Jay rolls his eyes, "Make fun of me later."

Mal's smirk shifts to a small, sad smile and her voice wavers, "The next day."

"You've been feeling this way for weeks?" Jay meets Mal's gaze, unable to hide the tears forming, his tone defeated and cracking, "Damn it. I should've seen it. I could tell something was off but I- I just wrote it off as you being in pain. I should've known!" 

Mal shakes her head, "I didn't want you to know."

"Why M?" Evie asks softly and reaches for Mal's hand. 

"Everything was so loud and there were so many people. I couldn't breathe and I kept seeing this fucking thing," Mal shakes her arm, gritting her teeth to swallow her wince, "People were being so nice, too nice and I just- back home, I would've kept fighting until everything faded away. I was in control and now…"

"Now, you're feeling weak." Carlos finishes, the mental cogs churning rapidly in his brain. 

Mal nods stiffly, her fingers toying at the blanket and her eyes downcast, "I feel so stupid. I let my guard down."

Jay moves closer to her and gently turns Mal's head to face him, "What happened wasn't your fault Mal. You couldn't have prevented it anymore than I could."

"You were half way across the pitch," Mal scoffs, adamantly shaking her head. 

"I should've been paying more attention. I could've gotten to you faster, I could've stopped him." Jay insists, the emotion evident in his tone. 

Mal grips Jay's hand and gives it a firm squeeze, "It happened too fast."

"Exactly!" Carlos snaps his fingers, his voice loud and confident, "Both of you are blaming yourselves for an accident, something beyond your control. If it happened too fast for Jay to respond, that means it was too fast for you to respond too, Mal." 

Carlos holds Mal's gaze and watches as his words start to sink in. 

"Stop using logic against me," Mal closes her eyes and exhales loudly, "Fuck. Why do I keep doing this?!"

"Because you wanted to punish yourself, like you did on the Isle." Jay supplies, his voice lacking any malice. 

Mal's eyes flash open, head jerking to look at Jay. She opens and closes her mouth, the words seeming to die on her lips. 

"Purposely putting yourself in reckless situations," Jay lists on his fingers, pain still etched in his tone, "Going even harder when you get injured and refusing to accept help." 

Mal shakes her head, gaze locked on her fingers as they press into her palms. 

A finger gently lifts Mal's chin and draws her gaze up to meet Evie's warm gaze. Evie caresses Mal's cheek, chuckling as she nuzzles into the touch.

"You don't have to face everything alone M. We're in this, together."

Jay and Carlos nod empathetically, letting Evie take the lead. 

"It's okay to let your guard down with us, we love all of you."

Mal scrunches her nose and shakes her head. Carlos moves into her space and gently tugs on the end of Mal's hair. 

"I love how wavy your hair is now," Carlos combs his fingers through it, subtly scratching at the base of her neck, "and the way the purple gets more vibrant in the light."

When Mal's response is nothing more than a half-hearted scoff they take it as permission to continue. Evie let's her fingers drop to massage at Mal's shoulders, her hands moving in time with Carlos's. 

"I love how you nuzzle into me when we hug." Evie adds, a warm smile on her lips.

Mal's cheeks flush a baby pink and she ducks her head. Jay catches her movement and gently lifts Mal's chin, looking directly at her as he speaks. 

"Babe, you're a firecracker and I love that about you. I love how strong and fierce you are," Jay runs his hand up and down her arm, "And I love that I can play tourney with you, you've got so much energy and I love watching you destroy the other teams."

Mal shakes her head, "You don't need to say all that."

Jay rests a hand on her leg, “Actually I think we do Mal. You’re so strong, one of the strongest people I've ever met and there’s no one I’d rather have by my side. I know you’ve always got my back. You’re always protecting us,” he starts to smile, and flashes Mal a dramatic wink, “and you’re fierce as hell, I mean- Doug still hides from you.”

"Good, it gets that little creep to leave E alone!" Mal scoffs, a flash of anger flickering in her eyes. 

Carlos's gaze catches Evie's as they share an amused smirk. Jay shakes his head and presses on. 

"My point is, being injured doesn't stop you from being strong. It doesn't change who you are, Mal."

Evie nods eagerly and gives Jay a soft smile, "We want to be there for you, because we love you."

Mal's nose scrunches in response. Jay rolls his eyes and leans across to smooth his thumb over the spot. 

"You gotta tell me when it's getting bad again." Jay murmurs, a slight quiver to his voice. 

He finally looks into those green eyes, the shade calmed to its usual light green. Mal bites her lip and lets out a long, drawn out sigh. 

"Please Mal, you have to try." 

Jay's pleading now but he won't budge and keeps his gaze locked on her. Beside him Carlos looks to Evie, giving her shoulder a little nudge. 

"For us, please M." Evie adds, her voice as silky as ever. 

Carlos bat's his eyelashes for good measure, his lip jutting out dramatically as Mal's gaze tracks to him. 

Mal closes her eyes and groans, "Ugh geez, fine. Just quit pouting, alright?!" 

Carlos laughs and flops onto the bed, pulling Mal with him before she can protest. They all know she wouldn't. Evie giggles at their display and sinks into Mal's side, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Jay kicks Mal's foot lightly, visibly relaxing when she growls at him. He effortlessly slides into the spot beside Carlos, one hand reaching to play with his curls. The other hand reaches across to rest on top of Mal's cast. There's a comfortable quiet that falls between them, the only sound is their soft breathing and Evie's gentle humming against Mal's neck. 

"I didn't mean to make you worry." Mal whispers after a long minute. 

"We're always going to worry," Evie murmurs, her finger trailing up and down Mal's arm, "We can't switch off our feelings anymore than you can." 

Carlos lifts himself so he's propped up on his arm and looks to Mal. She turns her head to his side, eyes still closed. 

"Feelings are hard, and being vulnerable is scary. It's going to take time, and that's okay." Carlos reassures her softly.

Mal slowly opens her eyes and Carlos gives her a small smile. 

"Let us in sometimes, I know you like to pretend you don't have feelings-" he rolls his eyes playfully at Mal's glare, "But it's okay to let us in. How you feel won't scare us away, we won't think any less of you for admitting you're hurting."

Mal releases a breath she didn't realise she was holding, her eyes clouded with emotion. 

"Yeah, we already know you're a loser." Jay deadpans, only to break into a teasing laugh.

The coiled tension in Mal starts to release and the familiar daring fire crackles. Carlos has no time to prepare himself as Mal launches across him to tackle Jay. Carlos squirms and releases a pained squeak as Mal presses her knee into his chest in her attempt to push Jay off the bed. Evie clamps a hand to her mouth, unable to fully suppress the giggling. 

Jay cackles and darts from Mal's reach, taking taunting steps as she scrambles after him. Mal reaches him in seconds, cast arm raised to strike. Jay grabs it mid motion and spins Mal around so her back is against the wall. 

"Gotcha." He grins tauntingly and wiggles his eyebrows. 

Mal makes a show of struggling from his grasp, she could escape if she really tried, but she doesn't. She rolls her eyes at the distant sound of Carlos and Evie giggling behind them. 

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do about it?" Mal quirks an eyebrow and smirks up at Jay, her hand fisting into his shirt and tugging him closer. 

Jay grins letting Mal close the distance just enough and hovering just shy of her lips. He laughs into Mal's mouth as she growls and kisses him. Jay nips at her lips and soothes the bites with his tongue. His hands press against the small of Mal's back, and Mal's good hand clutches Jay's arm. Her fingernails dig into his skin and Mal kisses him as though they'll be pulled apart. Jay traces his hand over her curves, the other shifts to cup her cheek. Mal softens under his touch, and sighs into Jay's mouth. This time when Jay traces his initials across Mal's arm she doesn't flinch. There's an apology in Mal's kisses, words she can't say melting into their embrace. But Jay knows, he _always_ knows. 

Everything fades into the background and all Mal can think about is them. Jay with his soft hands, and Evie with her teasing touches and Carlos's warmth surrounding her. _Maybe playing tourney out of spite was a good idea after all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and, if you want to send me any prompts for more Tourney Mal content my ask and dm's are always open. I'm incredibly invested in this AU, so don't be surprised if I write more! I have more thoughts on Mal's scar incident and if anyone would read me writing it as a Jal (rotten four) one-shot with protective Jay, then please let me know!


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